Twenty-five years after the Kargil War, the Pakistan Army has accepted its involvement in the deadly conflict with India for the first time. In a speech on Defence Day, Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir said, “Be it 1948, 1965, 1971, or the Kargil war of 1999, thousands of soldiers sacrificed their lives for the country and Islam.”
The Kargil conflict of 1999 had brought India and Pakistan to the brink of nuclear conflagration. Pakistan says it pulled out after the US intervened to cool the frayed tempers while India claims a decisive victory in the war that took place in the Himalayan heights.
In his speech, General Munir highlighted the role of the army in defending the motherland with the support of the people of Pakistan and also touched upon various conflicts with India, including the Kargil war.
“Indeed Pakistani nation is a courageous and bold nation, which understands best the importance of independence and how to protect it at any price. Whether the Pak-India wars of 1948, 1965, 1971 and Kargil or Siachen conflict, thousands of martyrs gave sacrifices for the security and honour of the country,” Munir said.
Pakistan had initially distanced itself from the conflict by saying that only private “freedom fighters” were involved in it. However, soon the scale of fighting revealed that the armies of two countries were fighting against each other.
The 2006 book ‘In The Line Of Fire’ written by then Pervez Musharraf, who was the army chief during the Kargil war, clearly acknowledged the Pakistan Army’s role.
Musharraf had sent in the Northern Light Infantry men in the Kargil theatre of war.
Pakistan awarded Captain Karnal Sher Khan of 27th Battalion, Sind Regiment and Havaldar Lalak Jan of Northern Light Infantry with the highest gallantry award called Nishan-e-Haider after the Kargil war was over.
This statement is considered a shift in Pakistan’s stance, deviating from its traditional narrative as the Pakistani Army has been avoiding openly acknowledging its direct role in the Kargil conflict, attributing it to “mujahideen” or “freedom fighters” in its official account.
In contrast, Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan during the Kargil war, has publicly criticised the military operation, which is often regarded as a strategic “blunder” by Pakistan’s armed forces.
Lt Gen (retd) Shahid Aziz, a former Pakistani military officer, had previously acknowledged the role of their troops in Kargil after his retirement. His admission came after he retired from the forces.
Aziz described the operation as a “four-man show,” known only to General Pervez Musharraf and a few other top commanders. Sharif, who signed the 1999 Lahore Declaration with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, later admitted that Pakistan had violated the agreement through its actions in Kargil.
The Ladakh and Kargil sectors have gone through a tumultuous period since independence, and this region has been at the forefront of significant battles in all the wars India has fought. Twenty-five years ago, in 1999, this remote area, isolated by high mountains with hostile climatic conditions, was where a military ingress by Pakistan took place across the Line of Control.
On May 3, 1999, the locals first reported the presence of unidentified personnel in Kargil Sector. Reconnaissance patrols were expeditiously dispatched to investigate the presence of infiltrators. The magnitude of Pakistan’s invasion and preparation were quickly revealed, and plans were prepared to evict Pakistani troops from the Indian side of the LoC. To avert escalation of the conflict, the Indian government stipulated that the Indian armed forces should not cross the LoC.
On May 26, 1999, the Indian Army launched Operation Vijay, a coordinated infantry and artillery assault with air support against regular Pakistani soldiers of the Northern Light Infantry occupying high-altitude mountain peaks and ridgelines to evict the Pakistani intruders.
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Watch: After 25 Years, Pakistan Army admits role in 1999 Kargil War against India
