Kargil War

The bonhomie of the bus and the summit at Lahore did not last very long. Barely three months after the summit, it was found that a steady infiltration was taking place into the Kashmir valley by armed militants and Pakistanis soldiers, and these intruders had got control of hilltops at the border and unmanned border posts. It came out later that the incursion was planned by the military of Pakistan which was under General Pervez Musharraf, and the civilian prime minister was only told after the plan was under way. The Kargil district was the main centre of this incursion.

The Indian Army first came to know of the incursion from a group of shepherds in May 1999. Swift action was taken to counter the Pakistani infiltration. Both army and the air force (with its operation called ‘Safed Sagar’) were coordinated in their action. (But the military were told clearly that they were not to cross the Line of Control.) Operation

Vijay was successful and the peaks taken over by the Pakistanis recaptured. The vantage points included Tiger Hill in the Drass sector. These points were crucial as they overlooked the Srinagar-Leh highway which the Pakistanis aimed at occupying and so cutting off this only all-weather road link between the two towns.

In June, Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan is reported to have asked the US to intervene, but the then US president Bill Clinton declined to do so until Pakistani troops were withdrawn from the Line of Control. Nawaz Sharif ordered the operation of the Pakistanis to stop. By July 26, the war was over with India victorious.

The Indians fought a fierce battle in cold and treacherous terrain and over 500 of the soldiers were killed. The Kargil victory boosted the image of Vajpayee as a decisive and sensible leader and also enthused the public with patriotic feelings.