India marks Kargil Diwas 2022: All you need to know about the 1999 Indo-Pak war

India commemorates Kargil Vijay Diwas to recognise the sacrifices made by Indian Army personnel during the Kargil War in 1999, the conflict that ended 23 years ago. The war, ‘Operation Vijay’ was fought between India and Pakistan in the Kargil region of the northern state, Jammu and Kashmir, known as Ladakh today. After nearly three months of armed conflict on the frigid heights of Kargil, the Indian troops declared their victory, raising the tricolor flag, a win for India. The Prime Minister of India, every year pays tribute to the soldiers at Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate on this day.

But why did the war happen? Let’s check the background here:

Add WION as a Preferred Source

It all started with Kargil being a tehsil of Ladakh but after the India-Pakistan 1947-1948 war, the Line of Control split the Ladakh district in half with Skardu Tehsil joining Pakistan. The two countries who later got engaged in a war again in 1971, signed Simla Agreement promising to not engage in ant-armed combat regarding the boundaries. However, both the countries were still trying to maintain their control over the Siachen Glaciers. However, during the 1990s, tensions between the countries escalated due to separatist actions in Kashmir, apparently funded by Pakistan. Later, the countries signed the Lahore Declaration in February 1999.

However, the Pakistani Army was carrying out a covert operation to cross LOC into Indian territory with the intention of cutting off the connection between Kashmir and Ladakh. Their objective was to compel the Indian army to leave the Siachen Glacier. But soon after knowing this, the Indian govt swiftly reached and wasted no time in mobilising nearly 200,000 Indian troops in the area. ‘Operation Vijay’ was the code for this mission.

Watch |Kargil Vijay Diwas 2022: India commemorates 23rd anniversary of India's win over Pakistan

Due to their high positioning, the Pakistani army had an upper hand over the Indian army in terms of shooting. Two Indian fighter jets were brought down by them and one crashed.

During the war, US President Bill Clinton ordered Pakistan to withdraw its troops from LOC, the country sought US action. The Indian army attacked then seeing the opportunity attacked the remaining Pakistani troops and captured the peaks while Pakistan was busy with its withdrawal.

The Indian Army successfully finished its operation on July 26, 2000.

700 deaths were reported in Pakistan, compared to 527 deaths overall among the Indian armed soldiers.

After winning the war, Pakistan denied being involved in the war. They ascribed the responsibility to the Kashmiri separatists. Although they were spotted awarding medals to the soldiers.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.