07-27-2005, 12:50 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Kargil war: A forgotten anniversary </b>
Pioneer News Service / New Delhi
The Nation, it seems, has forgotten the sacrifices made by more than 570 soldiers on the icy heights of Kargil in 1999 to throw out Pakistan regular soldiers and ISI-backed terrorists and July 26, the day Operation Vijay was finally over, passed with low key commemorations this year.
While the Army units, which took part in the nearly two-month long operation, observed the day by recalling events from the war and remembering their fallen comrades, the political class and the common citizens had to be reminded about the importance of July 26.
The ongoing peace process between India and Pakistan, perhaps, made the political class cautious about observing the day, unlike in the past when the then government marked the day by paying homage at Amar Jawan Jyoti in Delhi. The then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee lit a candle and exhorted the nation to do the same in memory of the martyrs.
The marking of July 26 as Vijay Diwas stopped in the year 2003, and this year was the third in the row when it was a low key affair, with Army formations involved in the battle observing the day with functions at unit headquarters remembering their personnel who had covered themselves with glory.
Army units in Drass, Batalik and Kargil, which saw action and our officers and jawans fighting against heavy odds marked the day by holding simple ceremonies.
Incidentally, the Kargil war was the first conflict which was brought right into the drawing rooms of millions of Indians, courtesy television, and heroes like Manoj Pandey, Anuj Nayyar, Vikram Batra, Saurabh Kalia, Haneefuddin and Vijayant Thapar became household names. All these young officers gave their lives while performing gallant deeds on the formidable heights of Kargil.
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Pioneer News Service / New Delhi
The Nation, it seems, has forgotten the sacrifices made by more than 570 soldiers on the icy heights of Kargil in 1999 to throw out Pakistan regular soldiers and ISI-backed terrorists and July 26, the day Operation Vijay was finally over, passed with low key commemorations this year.
While the Army units, which took part in the nearly two-month long operation, observed the day by recalling events from the war and remembering their fallen comrades, the political class and the common citizens had to be reminded about the importance of July 26.
The ongoing peace process between India and Pakistan, perhaps, made the political class cautious about observing the day, unlike in the past when the then government marked the day by paying homage at Amar Jawan Jyoti in Delhi. The then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee lit a candle and exhorted the nation to do the same in memory of the martyrs.
The marking of July 26 as Vijay Diwas stopped in the year 2003, and this year was the third in the row when it was a low key affair, with Army formations involved in the battle observing the day with functions at unit headquarters remembering their personnel who had covered themselves with glory.
Army units in Drass, Batalik and Kargil, which saw action and our officers and jawans fighting against heavy odds marked the day by holding simple ceremonies.
Incidentally, the Kargil war was the first conflict which was brought right into the drawing rooms of millions of Indians, courtesy television, and heroes like Manoj Pandey, Anuj Nayyar, Vikram Batra, Saurabh Kalia, Haneefuddin and Vijayant Thapar became household names. All these young officers gave their lives while performing gallant deeds on the formidable heights of Kargil.
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