We have seen Cine heroes donning role of Army Jawans and applaud them too – In our
history books, we have read about 3 battles of Panipat, Plassey, Arcot and more
…..will we ever read of Tololing or even Kargil ! ~ on every 26th of July, I
have been posting on Kargil remembrance (with a tinge of sadness some years as
media neglected it) – these years are different as our respected Prime
Minister, President, Vice-President all remember this and are paying homage to
the martyrs of Kargil war.
though
the Nations share common boundaries and history, India Pakistan have been at
logger heads and have gone in war in 1965 & 1971 – both times, India being
the victor graciously not pressing any advantage.
Read a newsitem in Russia Beyond media that in May 1964, Indian Defence Minister Yashwantrao
Chavan made a visit to the Pentagon, the HQ of the American defence department.
Chavan, who was trying to rapidly modernise the Indian military, requested the
Americans to sell India the F-104 Starfighter – the most advanced jet fighter
of that era. Although the US had
supplied the F-104 and the F-86 Sabres in large numbers – virtually free of
cost – to Pakistan, India’s request was rebuffed in an extremely crude manner.
The
1965 War remains memorable for two things. One was a monumental miscalculation
by Pakistan. President Ayub Khan, egged on by his scheming and feckless Foreign
Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, sent a top-secret order to his army chief General
Mohammed Musa: “As a general rule, Hindu morale would not stand for more than a
couple of hard blows delivered at the right time and the right place. Such
opportunities should therefore be sought and exploited.” Secondly, India’s
leadership – as it has done consistently over the past 2500 years – frittered
away on the negotiating table what the soldiers won on the battlefield.: “In a
way, India’s leadership, out of its sense of restraint, fair play and endeavour
to seek enduring peace and goodwill with the neighbour, seems to have missed
opportunities to solve the problem.” Writes Russia Beyond.
At the
end of a bruising 22-day war, India held 1920 square kilometres of Pakistani
territory while Pakistan only held 550 square kilometres of Indian land. The
Haji Pir pass was also captured by Indian soldiers after an epic battle. And
yet India surrendered everything at the Tashkent Declaration in January 1966.
Battle
of Asal Uttar was one of the largest tank battles fought during the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It was fought from 8 to 10 September 1965, when the
Pakistan Army thrust its tanks and infantry into Indian territory, capturing
the Indian town of Khem Karan 5 km from the International Border. The Indian troops retaliated, and after three
days of bitter fighting, the battle ended with the Pakistani forces being
repulsed near Asal Uttar. Successful
strategy and resilience of the army ensured this success. This battle is compared with the Battle of
Kursk in the Second World War for how it changed the course of the India
Pakistan war of 1965 in India's favour. Asal
Uttar means fitting reply and that's exactly what the Indian army gave their
Pakistani counterparts when Indian troops, marred by a lack of supplies and
ammunition, crushed Pakistani hubris garlanded by an edge in numbers as well as
weaponry and tanks.
Now today, is the day
of remembrance of our Kargil war heroes. The Nation today pays homage to the
jawans who sacrificed their lives in the 1999 Kargil war against Pakistan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s leadership
for his support to the armed forces during ‘Operation Vijay’. “On
#KargilVijayDiwas, a grateful nation pays homage to all those who served the
nation during Operation Vijay. Our brave soldiers ensured that India remains
protected and gave a befitting answer to those who tried to vitiate the
atmosphere of peace. India will always remember with pride, the outstanding
political leadership provided by Atal Ji during Operation Vijay. He led from
the front, supported our armed forces and clearly articulated India’s stand at
the world stage,” he tweeted.
President Ram Nath
Kovind, paying his tributes to the martyrs, tweeted: “On Kargil Vijay Diwas,
every Indian acknowledges the efforts and gallantry of our Armed Forces. We
salute the ultimate sacrifice of the martyrs of Kargil, and record our
everlasting debt to their families.” In
Delhi, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Chief of the Army Staff General
Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba and Chief of the Air
Staff Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa paid their tributes at Amar Jawan
Jyoti on the occasion.
The Battle of
Tololing was one of the pivotal battles in the Kargil War between India's armed
forces and troops from the Northern Light Infantry aided by other Pakistan
backed irregulars in 1999. The Tololing is a dominant position overlooking the
Srinagar - Leh Highway (NH 1D) and was a vital link. The Indian army's
casualties on the Tololing peak were half of the entire losses in the whole
war. Much of the losses had to do with the nature of the terrain as World War I
style frontal charges had to be mounted to reclaim the peaks to dislodge the
intruders. The 3 week assault finally culminated with India taking control of
the peak and changing the course of the war. 23 Indian Soldiers were killed in
the final assault, resulting in one of the costliest battles of the entire war.
We have National
Holidays; We celebrate important days
for the Nation including The Independence Day (Aug 15th ) Republic Day
(26th Jan) – we recall the birth and
death days of important National leaders.
A day more important than most of
them is … 26th July…. The Kargil
Diwas.. should be a much celebrated day commemorating the
victory in an important battle for the
honour of the Nation.
Great People –
Country must remember the Names - : Captain Anuj Nayyar, Captain Amol Kalia,
Captain Manoj Pande, Captain P.V.Vikram, Captain Vikram Batra, Deputy Commander
Sukhbir Singh Yadav, Driver-Soldier Gopinath Moharana, Flight Engineer Raj Kishore Sahoo, Grenadiar
Amardeep, Grenadiar Bajinder Singh Naik Surjeet Singh, Naik Subedar Lal Chand,
Naik Vikram Singh, Naik Yoginder Singh, Rifleman Ansuya Prasad Dhayani,
Rifleman Bachan Singh, Subedar Sumer Singh Rathore, Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja,
Squadron Leader Rajiv Pundir, Squadron Leader Lal Singh, Squadron Leader Ojha,
Zrfn Man Singh, Kaushal Yadav – all
should feature in the history books of
the school curriculum. The illustrious
list is not full only some of those 527 heroes who sacrificed their future for
protecting the honour of the Nation….. yes these are only some of the names of
Indian jawans and officers who made the supreme sacrifice in the battle field
of Kargil.
If you can't be a
Soldier, admire a Soldier. If you can't
fight at the border, fight the chaos in your neighbourhood. If you can't nurse
a soldier's wound, wipe the tears of his family members. If you can’t feed a
soldier, pray he sleeps indoors tonight. If you can’t thank him personally,
thank his parents. If you can’t help him get back, make sure his body gets
home, with all due respect and much more. If you can’t be a soldier, thank them
everyday. If you can’t be a soldier, encourage your child to be one. If you
can't be a Soldier, learn to always respect one.
Today, we remember the
martyrs of Kargil.
Jai Jawan, Jai Hind………
Saluting the Warriors guarding us and saving our Nation….
With Great respect to
Soldiers – S. Sampathkumar.
26th July
2018.
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