The entire country is celebrating the 22nd anniversary of the Kargil War today to rekindle the valour and pride of the slain soldiers who formed a part of Operation Vijay. The Kargil Vijay Diwas is regarded to be a telling prototype of India’s most definite form of future combat challenge. The Indian Army on July 26, 1999 scripted a historic milestone by having reclaimed territories illegally occupied by Pakistani invaders in the Kargil Drass region. 23 years since, the sacrifices and valour of the Indian soldiers and leaders remain unmatched in military history. 

As the nation celebrates the 23rd anniversary of India’s victory over Pakistan in the Kargil war, sports personalities paid tribute to personnel of the Indian armed forces on Kargil Vijay Diwas on Tuesday. 

Kargil Vijay Diwas 2022: Sports fraternity pay tribute  

Former India athlete PT Usha was among the first from sports fraternity to pay homage to the heroes of 1999 War. She wrote, “Bowing down in reverence towards our armed forces who with their unconditional service towards the nation sacrificed their lives on the line of fire. Remembering our heroes of the Kargil war on Kargil Vijay Diwas!”

Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh also shared a tweet to hail the valour of the Indian soldiers on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas, paying tribute to ‘courageous martyrs of the Kargil war who selflessly protected the motherland’. 

About the Kargil war anniversary

Back in the 1990s, when Pakistan’s terrorism in the valley was at a high, the Lahore Declaration was signed between the two countries in 1999 to find a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue. However, even as the Lahore Declaration was being signed, the Pakistan Army planned a secret invasion, sending its troops in the guise of ‘mujahideen’ into Indian territory across the Line of Control and take away key choke points. The Indian army initially were not clear about the scale of the infiltration.

However, once Indian government realised how scale of the situation, they sent over 2,00,000 Indian troops for Operation Vijay. The war came to an end on July 26, 1999, with the Indian forces succesfully taking back the mountainous territories captured by the Pakistan infiltrators. As many as 527 soldiers from the Indian Armed Forces sacrificed their lives during the 60-day Kargil war.

On the Kargil Vijay Diwas Day, the Prime Minister of India, too, pays homage to the soldiers at the National War Memorial (earlier the Amar Jawan Jyoti), which was since merged into the adjoining memorial, at India Gate every year.