“In an ideal world, you could reunite the Pakistan-occupied part of
Kashmir with the Indian-occupied part and restore the old borders.
You could have both India and Pakistan agreeing to guarantee those
borders, demilitarise the area, and to invest in it economically. In a
sane world that would happen, but we don’t live in a sane world.”
July 26th: the day celebrated as the Kargil Vijay Diwas , the day India commemorates the victory of Indian troops over the parasitic infiltration of Pakistani Army on Indian soil, the day of triumph of good over evil.
But what led to a war just 3 months after the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee embarked on a symbolic bus journey from New Delhi to Lahore (crossing the de-facto border) to establish the most notable amicable relations ever between the two hostile nations? Perhaps a sibling rivalry gone wrong!
- Nuclear Tests by India and Pakistan
In 1974, Indira Gandhi had ordered the first ever nuclear test to be carried out, but the announcement was soon received with major backslash from foreign media and political leaders and sanctions were slammed on India, forcing the test to be retreated at the earliest. On May 11, 1998 (almost 24 years later) , Mr Vajpayee summoned a group of reporters to the Seven Race Course Road to deliver a short address stating that India had successfully conducted 3 underground nuclear tests in the Pokhran region. India became the Sixth declared Nuclear Weapons state. In less than two weeks, Pakistan issued a public statement declaring its own nuclear test thereby opening the window of a Nuclear South Asia.
What followed was a series of condemnation and global uproar by the P-5 nations. The disapproval of the world was evident as every news channel portrayed India and Pakistan as rogue states who wanted to rage a nuclear war. While Mr Vajpayee was devoted to nuclear non proliferation, he was not willing to sign the CTBT(Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty) or the NPT(Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty) , the essence of whose exuberance was sown by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1954.When Vajpayee came to power in 1998 and strengthened his stand on the treaty, for the next few months scientists and few militants worked in complete secrecy with limited vehicles and at nighttime to avoid foreign spy camera from capturing any coherent details. As the economic sanctions were imposed, “Resurgent India Bonds” was set up in India by SBI to raise foreign exchange from donations by NRIs and PIOs and was successful in raising 4.25 billion dollars within mere ten days.
- February 1999, Lahore Bus Yatra
From the ashes of the nuclear tests rose one of the biggest valiant effort of friendship between the two countries in order to tranquilize the international pressure. At the United Nations General Assembly in New York and the SAARC Summit in Colombo in the year 1998, both Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif discussed measures to create an improvement in their “confidence building”. It was almost a decade later that an Indian Prime Minister had visited Pakistan (the first being Benazir-Rajiv Summit).
On 19th February, 1999, Vajpayee crossed the Wagha border in the extraordinary inaugural bus service accompanied with dignitaries and reputable actors, poets and sportsmen. They were received with a warm welcome by Nawaz Sharif on the other end and cordially provided Vajpayee with a “Guard of Honour” in the presence of media, fanfare and military. Vajpayee visited the Minar-E-Pakistan despite defiance and resistance from both the nation’s military and went on to inscribe on the visitor’s book, “A stable, secure and prosperous Pakistan is in India’s interest. Let no one in India be in doubt. India sincerely wishes Pakistan well.” It showcased the embodiment of reassurance that WAR was never an option.
The Lahore Agreement, a bilateral treaty, was signed on 21st Feb 1999, to avoid nuclear race, conventional and unconventional conflict. Little did he know that this historical event would soon be vandalized by infiltration of Pakistani army in Indian Administered Kashmir leading to trauma and tragedy to persist.
- Operation Tupac / Operation Koh Paima (A repetition of 1947 & 1965)
After India conducted the Operation Brasstacks in 1986, Pakistani army devised a strategy called Operation Tupac examining various ways of invading India. In 1998, the then General Pervez Musharraf , became the Chief of Army Staff and on the substructure of Tupac laid the blueprint of Operation Koh Paima to seize Drass, Batalik and Kargil sectors (apparently without the knowledge and confidence of their own Prime Minister).
Due to the difficult terrain and treacherous mountain peaks in winters along the LOC, the posts of Indian and Pakistani army were vacated and again occupied during the spring.This was mutually agreed upon by both sides since years to avoid adverse effects of living condition at about 18,000 ft high. The Kargil Cabal( four Pakistani officers including Musharraf who were aware of the plan) seeked this fortuity as to intrude 4-10 km into Indian territory and occupy about 130 winter vacated Indian posts.The Northern Light Infantry (NLI) regiment headed the plan owing to their deeper knowledge of terrain,diverse culture, language and religion to camouflage themselves by cladding civilian clothes. The main aim of the Operation was to capture the National Highway 1A by hook or by crook to establish the Pakistan supremacy by cutting off the sole link between India and Ladakh.
- Operation Vijay, Operation Safed Sagar and Operation Talwar
The incompetence of the Indian Intelligence Agency in detecting the biggest intrusion into Indian territory (that too through the least expected and most difficult paths) was clearer than ever. Was it ignorance or over confidence? This was an epiphany especially because India had taken the peaceful Lahore Agreement solemnly. When the news of infiltration started pouring in (a tip-off by a local shepherd), General VP Malik was abroad on an official tour to Poland and Czech Republic but by the time he returned to India things seemed to have slipped out of India’s hands.
As a result OPERATION VIJAY was launched, a “mobilisation of 2,00,000 Indian troops” but due to difficult terrain only close to 30,000 soldiers were deployed at Kargil Drass Sector. Indian army first targeted Tiger Hills and Tololing complex followed by Batalik Tirlok sub-sector. Siachen attacks and advances were carried out at night time with temperature as low as -15 degree celsius. Operation Vijay was accompanied with OPERATION SAFED SAGAR which was launched by the Indian Air Force (IAF) ,the first time ever that such majestic air power was employed in such scenario and hence a milestone in itself. On May 26th 1999 at 0630 hours the IAF used air power at a height of 32,000 feet for the first time to launch first strike on Pakistani army.
“Two helicopters comprising five and four aircrafts, each MI-17 firing protective flares disgorges 57mm rockets- all 128 of them. Before the enemy could put his head up, the next MI-17 came in fired – and the next -then the next one..”General VP Malik and IAF chief requested to cross the de-facto border slightly during the course of the battle but the idea was categorically rejected by PM Vajpayee. Hence, in order to create some pressure on Pakistan OPERATION TALWAR was launched by the Indian navy to block the Pakistani ports of Karachi to cut off supply routes.
The media played a vital role in bringing the dusts of the battlefield directly to the living room of common man, similar to the coverage of Gulf War by CNN and hence becoming the first “live war of South Asia”.
Pakistan sought assistance from the President of USA , Bill Clinton but all in vain as he specifically refused to intervene until Pakistan pulled back. On 4th July Sharif agreed. Indian army along with IAF launched its final attack in the last week of July and after occupying Dras subsector the war ceased on 26th July. Pakistan was castigated by global leaders across the world for going against the Shimla Agreement and Lahore Agreement and instigating war.
- Repurcussions
Casualties took place on both sides as a result of the war. On India’s side, 527 soldiers died and 1363 were heavily wounded. On Pakistan’s side 700 soldiers were estimated to have sacrificed their lives. Pakistan continued to deny any allegations of conflict and claimed that India was against a face-off with J&K freedom fighters. But all these doubts of involvement were soon cleared when Pakistan awarded 2 of its soldiers with Nishan-E-Haider( Pakistan’s highest military honor) and 90 soldiers with Gallantry awards for their valor and bravery.
(After winning the war, India experienced a surge in patriotism, Indian stock market rose by 30%, major increase in military spending, Indo-US relations improved)
We have often been told that soldiers are the biggest “war mongers” but what we are not shown is that they are the ones most affected by it, putting theirs as well as their families future at stake. Carrying those wounds, trauma, sufferings and the horrid scars with them till their last breath but with utmost dignity and pride.
Even NOW (in 2020), while our country was fighting against the pandemic and China , Pakistan committed 2000 ceasefire violations in less then 6 months. India’s trade relations with Pakistan has deteriorated even further. Anti-Pak rhetorics and Islamophobia has only dented India’s image as a “secular” country.
