Kargil Vijay Diwas: Celebrating India’s victory against Pakistan

FP Staff • July 26, 2022, 19:37:18 IST

The Indian Army defeated Pakistan in the conflict on 26 July, 1999. Since then, the day is commemorated as Kargil Vijay Diwas to celebrate the pride and courage of the Indian armed forces

On 26 July, 1999, the Indian Army announced the successful culmination of “Operation Vijay”, declaring victory after a nearly three-month-long battle on the icy heights of Kargil in Ladakh. The day is observed as ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’ to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the war. Here, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pays homage at the National War Memorial in New Delhi on Tuesday. Twitter/ @rajnathsingh

Army Chief General Manoj Pande, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar pay homage at the National War Memorial on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, in New Delhi, on Tuesday. PTI

Army jawans pay tribute at the Balidan Stambh to commemorate the Kargil Vijay Diwas, in Jammu on Tuesday. PTI

Rajya Sabha MPs observe silence in tribute to the soldiers who fought the 1999 war with Pakistan on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas in the Upper House during the Monsoon Session of Parliament on Tuesday. ANI

NCC cadets pay tributes at Shaheed-e-Kargil memorial on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, in Patna, Tuesday. PTI

The Kargil war was fought between India and Pakistan between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LOC). Here is a file image of Veer Bhoomi which is home to the epitaphs of solders who made the supreme sacrifice while serving the nation. Wikimedia Commons

During the war, the Indian Army evicted Pakistani intruders and succeeded in recapturing the Tiger Hill and other posts as a part of Operation Vijay. The Indian soldiers had secured this victory after a three-month conflict that led to a loss of lives from both sides with the Indian side losing nearly 490 officers, soldiers, and jawans. PTI

During the war then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had declared the success of Operation Vijay on 14 July, days before it formally ended. It was during a public rally in Haryana where he announced the victory in advance putting strategic pressure on Pakistan and subsequently India won war. Wikimedia Commons

Snapshots from the war: Battle-ready Indian soliders armed with a light machine gun head from Srinagar towards Kargil town on 24 May 1999. Thousands of reinforments had been sent in to Kargil and Drass towns where there has been heavy shelling between India and Pakistan. AFP File

Snapshots from the war: Indian commandos listen to their drill officers at a checkpoint on the Srinagar to Kargil road 5 June 1999. The Kargil sector was closed to the media by military authorities, as major operations were expected to take place in the coming days. India at that time was still trying to flush out Islamic guerrillas, allegedly backed by Pakistani regulars, after they infiltrated the Indian side of the Line of Control. AFP File

Snapshots from the war: Panicking villagers in the border district of Kargil (190 km from Srinagar) leave their homes 2 July, 1999, following a heavy exchange of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops. AFP File

Snapshots from the war: Indian artillery men fire 155mm Bofors guns at enemy positions from a gun emplacement in the Drass sector of Indian-controlled Kashmir 22 June 1999. AFP File