Country remembers its Kargil war heroes

Srinagar, July 26 : Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday paid tributes to its 1999 Kargil heroes who sacrificed their lives while flushing out Pakistani soldiers in an undeclared war.

Nearly 500 soldiers died on the snow-capped peaks of Kargil in the campaign to oust hundreds of fighters who crossed into Indian territory from Pakistan in the summer of 1999.

The day is observed as 'Vijay Divas'.

"We observe the day as 'Vijay Divas', to remember our soldiers who successfully fought the intruders and sacrificed their life to make our borders safe," said Major General D.M. Chaudhary, General Officer Commanding, Tiger Division in Jammu.

The face-off in the Kargil mountains nearly brought nuclear- capable India and Pakistan to the brink of their fourth full-scale war.

India saw the fighting in the Kargil sector of Kashmir as an undeclared war with Pakistan. Pakistan denied any involvement in the intrusion saying Kashmiri militants had occupied the heights.

Indian army, backed by air force fighter jets and gunships, could evict the intruders from the icy heights only after a nearly three-month long haul.

India and Pakistan have introduced a number of confidence-building measures after nearly coming eyeball to eyeball in 2002 after Islamic militants raided Parliament on December 13, 2001.

More than 45,000 people have been killed in anti-India revolt by separatists in Indian Kashmir since 1989.

ANI