Kargil Vijay Diwas: India’s victory over Pakistan in 1999

For the 24th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh travelled to Drass in the Kargil area of Ladakh on Wednesday.

On July 26, 1999, the Indian Army announced the successful culmination of “Operation Vijay”, declaring victory after a nearly three-month-long battle at the icy heights of Kargil, including super-high-altitude locations, such as Tololing and Tiger Hill.

Every year, this day is observed to remember the soldiers who lost their lives fighting for Pakistan in the 1999 Kargil conflict. In honour of the heroic souls who lost their lives on the freezing heights of Kargil, the Raksha Mantri lay a wreath at this location of the Kargil War Memorial.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh was the special guest during the solemn memorial service.

At the Kargil War Memorial, both the Army Chief General Manoj Pande and the Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar placed wreaths in remembrance of the gallant soldiers.

Visuals from Kargil War Memorial where Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay homage to martyrs of the Kargil War later today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tribute to fallen soldiers of the Kargil War. Taking it to Twitter, he wrote, “Kargil Vijay Diwas brings to the fore the heroic saga of those wonderful brave hearts of India, who will always remain an inspiration for the countrymen. On this special day, I bow down and salute him from the bottom of my heart. Long live India!”

Earlier, on Tuesday, the Army held a press briefing on the commemoration event at Lamochen, Drass. The briefing commenced with an audio-visual narration of the battles showcasing the valour and sacrifice of the jawans in the Kargil conflict as it unfolded in 1999. It is to be noted here that the conflict, as has been widely documented, pitted the Indian Army jawans against the Pakistani intruders in the rugged and unforgiving heights of Kargil.