Kargil Vijay Diwas

History

After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, there had been a long period of relatively few direct armed conflicts involving the military forces of the two neighbours – not withstanding the efforts of both nations to control the by establishing military outposts on the surrounding mountains ridges and the resulting military skirmishes in the 1980s. During the 1990s, however, escalating tension and conflict due to separatist activities in , as well as the conducting of nuclear tests by both countries in 1998, led to an increasingly belligerent atmosphere. In an attempt to defuse the situation, both countries signed the in February 1999, promising to provide a peaceful and bilateral solution to the Kashmir conflict. During the winter of 1998–1999, some elements of the Pakistani Armed Forces were covertly training and sending Pakistani troops and paramilitary forces, into territory on the Indian side of the line of control (LOC). The infiltration was code named "Operation Badri". The aim of the Pakistani incursion was to sever the link between Kashmir and and cause Indian forces to withdraw from the Siachen Glacier, thus forcing to negotiate a settlement of the broader Kashmir dispute. Pakistan also believed that any tension in the region would internationalize the Kashmir issue, helping it to secure a speedy resolution. Kashmir is a beautiful region that resides in an extremely mountainous area, containing some of the highest peaks in the world. Unfortunately, this amazing land has remained a constant battleground between the two countries of India and Pakistan. As part of the Shimla Agreement in 1972, there was an agreement that neither India nor Pakistan would contest the border by making use of military means. Since the agreement, both countries began guarding the border heavily for the majority of the year. During the exceedingly cold winter months, both the Indian and Pakistani guards abandon their posts, only to return back in the spring. However, during the winter of 1998- 1999, a surprise attack took place from the Pakistan army and it became successful in crossing the LOC and into India’s portion of Kashmir. Moreover, slowly and gradually, they went on capturing one Indian outpost after another and held their position in Kargil. In February 1999, at the same time as the winter invasion, the Lahore Declaration was being signed between India and Pakistan which was based on peace. After a few months, the began between the two countries. Furthermore, a series of bloody battles were fought between the two nations of India and Pakistan. The battles posed a huge challenge for the Indian forces as they had to fight on difficult mountainous terrain. In spite of this challenge, the Indian soldiers showed amazing bravery. After a long struggle, the indian army became successful in pushing back the Pakistani forces across the line of control. JAI HIND Name – Cadet RAJ TIWARI REG NO. – 1MAH/F/SD/19/712016 UNIT- NO 1 MAH AIR SQN NCC, JAI HIND COLLEGE, MUMBAI