24th Kargil Vijay Diwas 2023: 8 Lesser-Known Facts About India's Victory Over Pakistan

Kargil Vijay Diwas 2023: Kargil Vijay Diwas is commemorated in India to honour the sacrifices made by the soldiers of the Indian Army during the Kargil War in 1999. It has been 24 years since the war. Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was fought between May-July of 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir along the Line of Control (LoC). This is the day to pay homage to the Kargil martyrs and to remember the supreme sacrifice made by our brave soldiers, to uphold and safeguard the integrity of the nation. 

कारगिल विजय दिवस भारत के उन अद्भुत पराक्रमियों की शौर्यगाथा को सामने लाता है, जो देशवासियों के लिए सदैव प्रेरणाशक्ति बने रहेंगे। इस विशेष दिवस पर मैं उनका हृदय से नमन और वंदन करता हूं। जय हिंद!

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 26, 2023

आज कारगिल विजय दिवस के गौरवशाली अवसर पर सभी देशवासी हमारे सशस्त्र बलों के असाधारण पराक्रम से अर्जित की गई विजय को याद करते हैं। देश की रक्षा के लिए अपने जीवन का बलिदान करके विजय का मार्ग प्रशस्त करने वाले सेनानियों को एक कृतज्ञ राष्ट्र की ओर से मैं श्रद्धांजलि देती हूं और उनकी…

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 26, 2023

कारगिल विजय दिवस करोड़ों देशवासियों के सम्मान के विजय का दिन है। यह सभी पराक्रमी योद्धाओं को श्रद्धांजलि अर्पित करने का दिन है जिन्होंने आसमान से भी ऊँचे हौसले और पर्वत जैसे फौलादी दृढ़ निश्चय से अपनी मातृभूमि के कण-कण की रक्षा की। भारत माता के वीर सिपाहियों ने अपने त्याग व… pic.twitter.com/iv7RlROfkg

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 26, 2023

#WATCH | Ladakh: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrives in Drass on #KargilVijayDiwas

He will lay a wreath at Kargil War Memorial here and pay tributes to soldiers who lost their lives in the 1999 Kargil War. pic.twitter.com/wF12A6plwy

— ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2023

On #KargilVijayDiwas, I pay homage to those brave souls of our great nation who laid down their lives during KARGIL War.
I am filled with deep respect and admiration for the unmatched bravery and valour of our soldiers who tough the most befitting lessons to the enemies while… pic.twitter.com/4iVuD19rpe

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) July 26, 2023

#KargilVijayDiwas

527 Bravehearts sacrificed their lives to evict the enemy from icy mountain peaks of Kargil twenty four years ago, and over 1300 soldiers were wounded.

The best way to pay homage to them is be a good citizen - a citizen worth dying for.
Jai Hind 🇮🇳

— Lt Gen Satish Dua 🇮🇳 (@TheSatishDua) July 26, 2023

Kargil Vijay Diwas: What is the history of the Kargil War?

8 Facts about Kargil Vijay Diwas

1. Kargil War took place in the Kargil District of Jammu and Kashmir, along the Line of Control (LoC). Pakistan's army sent its soldiers in the name of intruders in the winter to take over the area. Their main objective was to cut the connections between Ladakh and Kashmir and to create tensions at the Indian border. Let us tell you that the intruders at that time were on the top whereas the Indians were on the downhill and so it was easy for them to attack. Finally, the war broke out between the two sides. Pakistani soldiers crossed the Line of Control that is LOC and entered the India-controlled area.

Do you know that Kargil was part of the Baltistan district of Ladakh before the partition of India in 1947 and was separated by the LOC after the First Kashmir War (1947-1948)?

2. On 3rd May 1999 Pakistan started this war when it had infiltrated into the high altitudes in the rocky mountainous region of Kargil with around 5000 soldiers and captured it. When the Indian Government got the information about it ‘Operation Vijay’ was launched by the Indian army to throw back the intruders who had treacherously occupied Indian Territory.

Let us tell you that in 1971 that is before Kargil War, India and Pakistan fought a war that led to the formation of a separate country i.e. Bangladesh.

3. Do you know the scenario before the Kargil War? In 1998-1999 during the winters, the Pakistani Army secretly started training and sending troops near Kargil to dominate the region with the goal of claiming Siachen Glacier. Further, Pakistan Army exclaimed that they were not the Pakistani soldiers but the Mujahideen. Actually, Pakistan wanted international attention on the dispute so that pressure could be generated on the Indian army to withdraw its army from the Siachen Glacier region and force India to negotiate for the Kashmir dispute.

Kargil Vijay Diwas 2023: The Weapon Story of Kargil's Combat and Air Battles

4. The story behind the war: After the Indo-Pak war of 1971 there have been many military conflicts. Both countries conducted nuclear tests in 1998 which further escalated tensions. To calm the situation in February 1999, the two countries signed The Lahore Declaration, promising to provide a peaceful and bilateral solution to the Kashmir conflict.

5. The infiltration of Pakistani Armed Forces and paramilitary forces across the Line of Control into the territory on the Indian side was code-named "Operation Badr." Do you know that its main objective was to break the link between Kashmir and Ladakh and to withdraw the Indian Army from the Siachen Glacier? At the same time, Pakistan believed that creating any kind of tension in this area would help in making the Kashmir issue an international issue, resulting in a speedy resolution.

The Kargil war had been the one where a war was fought between two nuclear states.

6. The IAF for ground attack, used planes MiG-2Is, MiG-23s, MiG-27s, Jaguars, and the Mirage-2000. Mainly, for air interception with a secondary role of ground attack, MiG-21 was built. To attack the targets on the ground, MiG-23s and 27s were optimised. Several targets of Pakistan were attacked. Therefore, IAF’s MiG-21s and Mirage 2000 were extensively used in Operation Safed Sagar during this war.

7. A large number of rockets and bombs were used in this war. About two lakh fifty thousand shells, bombs, and rockets were fired. Approximately 5,000 artillery shells, mortar bombs, and rockets were fired daily from 300 guns, mortars, and MBRLs while 9,000 shells were fired the day Tiger Hill was regained. It is said that this was the only war after World War II in which such a large number of bombardments were carried out on the enemy army. Finally, India won a determined victory.

8.The conflict was fought in rugged terrain and at extremely high altitudes; some of the stations were over 18,000 feet in elevation, making it possibly the most difficult conflict in recent memory.

But as it is always said for our Indian soldiers, "TOUGH TIMES DON'T LAST, TOUGH MEN DO."

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