Two-day programme to mark Kargil victory anniversary

Drass (Kashmir), Jul 25: Thursday will mark the 13th anniversary of the Indian victory over Pakistani intruders in the chilly terrains of

in 1999. The Indian Army will mark the occasion with a series of events starting on Wednesday at the

memorial at the Drass sector in Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Drass War Memorial was built in the foothills of Tololing Hill in memory of the Indian soldiers who had lost their lives in the conflict. India had lost about 500 soldiers in the conflict to reclaim high posts that had been conquered by Pakistani intruders. Many of the Indian martyrs were posthumously awarded the gallantry awards.

The operation, termed Operation Vijay, which continued for two months, came to an end on Jul 26, which is celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas every year.

The 13th anniversary coincides with the Indian Army getting its new supreme commander with Pranab Mukherjee taking over as the 13th President of India.

The two-day commemoration will feature a wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial, soldiers' meet, memorial service and band display. The popular musicians Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy will also perform a stage show on the occasion.

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army's Northern Command Lt Gen KT Parnaik and MP Naveen Jindal will be the chief guests of the programme. Widows and kin of those soldiers who were martyred in Kargil, Mushkok, Batalik and Drass will also be present, Army sources said.

The Kargil war started in May 1999 and continued for sixty days after Pakistani soldiers, mainly drawn from its Northern Light Infantry along with back-up forces conquered mountain tops overlooking the crucial Srinagar-Leh highway. The war took place just months after the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had undertaken the historic bus trip from New Delhi to Lahore to ease tension between the two hostile neighbours.

OneIndia News