Kargil Vijay Diwas reminder of unparalleled courage of our soldiers: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (July 26) greeted people on the 26th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas, which marks the Indian military’s success in ejecting Pakistani intruders from the mountains of Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir in 1999.

The Kargil Vijay Diwas is observed on July 26 every year to commemorate the occasion.

Modi, who is currently on a two-day tour of the Maldives, said the occasion reminds the country of unparalleled courage and valour of its soldiers who sacrificed their lives while defending the nation’s pride.

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Their spirit to sacrifice themselves for the motherland will inspire every generation, he said. More than 540 Indian soldiers were martyred during the conflict while over a thousand were injured.

India's Operation Vijay

In 1999, Pakistani forces had stealthily occupied strategic positions in the mountains in Kargil, aiming to sever the transport link between Kashmir and Ladakh. However, India launched 'Operation Vijay' to evict them and achieved success.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party was in power then with the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee serving as a caretaker prime minister. The conflict lasted almost three months.

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The name of each martyr has remained carved on the walls of the Kargil War Memorial at Dras as a mark of tribute to the fallen heroes.

President Droupadi Murmu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, families of the martyred soldiers and common people also remembered them on the day.

Also read: A timeline of Indo-Pak armed conflicts since 1947

Under the Modi government, India saw a brief air conflict with Pakistan in May this year after more than 20 Hindu tourists were shot dead by five armed men in Pahalgam in Kashmir. A ceasefire was called later to halt the hostilities.

(With inputs from Agencies)