July
26, 1999 will go down in the annals of Indian history as a day
when the determined Indian forces achieved a glorious victory
over the retreating Pakistani army.
It was on
this day that the Indian victory over Pakistan was complete.
True to its character despite having to pay a heavy price for
fighting a war within its territory, the Indian forces allowed
the Pakistanis to return across the Line of Control (LoC). It
was a gesture which depicted the great Indian tradition of
forgiving even the enemy, when it pleads for it. For Pakistan,
it was another lesson which it would probably not forget for a
long time. It would also put Pakistan to shame, for it chose
to torture and kill the Indian prisoners of War (PoWs), rather
than handing them over safely as was done by India through the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Fighting
against all odds in the icy heights of Kargil, a remote region
in the state of
Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian forces ensured that the supreme
sacrifice made by their gallant soldiers did not go waste. As
the nation stood like a rock behind the men fighting a war
forced upon India by Pakistan, the plea from Islamabad to
allow a safe passage to the trapped Pakistani soldiers was an
ultimate proof about the capabilities of the Indian defence.
The successful eviction of Pakistanis by the concerted action
of the Indian Armed Forces clearly demonstrated that while
India remains a votary of peace, it has the will and the
capability to fight and win a war. The advancing Indian forces
left no stone unturned to ensure that not even one Pakistani
soldier remained on the Indian soil. With the backing of the
Indian Air force (IAF), the Indian Army achieved a feat which
would be hard for any of the armies around the world to match.
It was also a milestone in the history of military aviation,
as it was for the first time that air power was deployed with
such effectiveness in such a hostile environment. The lessons
from Kargil would also be applicable to all Air Forces for the
world.
Though Indian
forces initially suffered some losses, they were able to gain
control of various heights very quickly. From Patalik to
Chorbatla, from Valdor to Shangruti, the Indian soldiers were
victorious everywhere. The Pakistanis were surrounded from all
sides. Despite fighting uphill, the brave Indian officers and
jawans cut through the Pakistani barricades. And for once the
nation stood united like never before. The religion was
relegated to the background and all communities were one. From
Kashmir to Kanyakumari there was an outpour of emotion for the
valiant Indian soldiers. Every time a body returned from the
battlefield, entire nation shed tears and only vowed with
further resolve to show no mercy for the Pakistanis. The
nation also did not lag behind in lending the much needed
financial support for the families of the soldiers who had
laid down their lives protecting the Indian sovereignty. Aware
of the need for a boost in the morale of the soldiers going to
the front who had knowledge that they may never return home,
singers and stars turned up in large numbers at the railway
stations. The Indian cricketers also palyed their part and
visited the hospitals where the wounded were being treated. It
was an effort to show India was not divided as the enemy was
hoping.
Incidentally,
our policy of restraint and resolve during the Kargil crisis
was appreciated by the international community. The blatant
misadventure of the Pakistani military establishment in Kargil
failed miserably on the politico-diplomatic and military
fronts. The Pakistani attempt in Kargil has had such far
reaching effect that it has still not been able to emerge from
the indignity it invited upon itself.
Viewed
against the background the historic initiative taken by Prime
Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee to visit Lahore in February
1999 and the signing of the Lahore Declaration, which clearly
reflected India’s willingness and determination to resolve
its differences with Pakistan through a process of dialogue
and confidence building, the Pakistani intrusion in Kargil was
a betrayal of trust. Even while accepting India’s extended
hand of friendship in Lahore, Pakistan was planning its
clandestine, unprovoked full-scale intrusion across the LoC.
Taking undue advantage of the unheld gaps in the continous and
glaciated terrain, Pakistan attempted this aggression against
India which led to the occupation of strategic territory on
the Indian side of the LoC.
But in the
end a great disservice was done by the Pakistani Army to not
only all their countrymen but particularly to their soldiers,
who were laying down lives in a war which had no idea,
ideology or purpose. They did not know as to why they were
fighting. While here in India there was an outpour of emotion
and solidarity, the Pakistani soldiers died an unrecognised
death. They were also not given a decent burial by their own
men, whereas the Indian soldiers despite knowledge that these
were the bodies of the enemy choose to give them a burial. For
it goes by the Indian tradition to pay respect to the dead
human, whoever he or she may be. Instead of recognising their
sacrifices, the best traditions of the Armed forces, the
Pakistani army not only treated their soldiers as cannon
fodder, but adamantly refused to acknowledge their presence
across the LoC. Later, despite being made fully aware of the
identities of their slain soldiers, it continued to turn its
back on the dead. This evidently was so because it would have
immediately exposed the direct involvement of the Pakistani
army.
Unable to
face the humiliation inflicted by the Indian forces, Pakistan
finally did acknowledge that some of the dead were their men.
But then it asked India to hand over the bodies to the ICRC
rather than accepting them directly. This again reflected
little or no concern of Pakistan towards its own dead soldiers
who will never return home and to their families. In fact, by
this refusal, the fate of many Pakistani soldiers will remain
an unsolved mystery, a pain that will be very hard to endure.
And, the pain and agony suffered as a result by the families
of these soldiers who are no more will squarely rest with the
Pakistani army.
Kargil has
lessons for both, India and Pakistan. India’s policy of
peace has earned her recognition from world over, yet it must
not take defence preparedness for granted. The lesson for
Pakistan is, it must understand that dialogue is the best
course for sorting out mutual problems between the two
countries.
