Kargil, India

On the 24th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas, celebrations and tributes were paid by hundreds of people who had gathered at the Drass war memorial in Kargil district. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with the Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Manoj Pande and Navy chief admiral R Hari Kumar paid floral tributes to the martyred soldiers of the Kargil war. 

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Singh said that nobody has the courage to raise evil eyes towards India as brave soldiers are protecting every inch of the country, and if needed, they will not hesitate to cross the Line of Control (LoC).

"I am among the soldiers of the Indian army and that gives me strength too. On the occasion of Kargil Diwas, I am extremely happy to be here. I bow to those soldiers who laid down their lives for the country. I congratulate the whole country on the occasion. I cannot express how proud I am to be here," Singh said. 

"It’s due to these strong soldiers that our nation stands. For the protection of the borders, the soldiers showed utmost strength which will always be remembered in history. Despite low oxygen, our soldiers never let their guard down. Kargil win was the win of every Indian," he added. 

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Singh was accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff along with the tri-service chiefs. They visited the Kargil War Memorial in Drass and paid tributes to soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the 1999 India-Pakistan war. 

Speaking on the occasion, Singh said that India has great respect for all other countries and also follows norms for international conduct, but its generosity couldn’t be mistaken as its weakness. 

“Narendra Modi led government is very clear and gave free hand to armed forces to launch operation across the border if the need arises. At that time (1999) if we did not cross the LoC, it does not mean we weren't able to cross it. We could have crossed the LoC then, we can cross the LoC now, and will cross the LoC in future if needed,” he said. 

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Singh said, "I want to tell the countrymen that we have learnt so much from the Kargil war. The war between Ukraine and Russia is on for over a year. We need to learn from these wars. The war between those two countries is still on and the reason is the participation of the civilian population. In India, the local population should get ready to be part of any future wars as trained soldiers. The way every Indian army soldier is an Indian, every Indian has to be a soldier too." 

Army Chief General Manoj Pandey, while addressing the media persons, said, "We have gathered here to pay tributes to those soldiers who gave a befitting reply to the enemy forces during the Kargil war. The sacrifice of the soldiers cannot be forgotten, and we will always be indebted to them for it. These peaks that you see around were captured by the enemy and our brave soldiers made sure to recapture all these peaks."

General Pandey said, "Air Force also played a vital role during the war as well. The local population also made sure to support the army always. In future, we might have to face more challenges and we have to be ready to face those challenges." 

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