Kargil Vijay Diwas 2023
After 24 years of its victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War, India is commemorating its 24th Vijay Diwas, remembering the indomitable courage, sacrifices and valour of the fallen heroes in recapturing several mountain heights seized by Pakistani infiltrators in Kashmir. Operation Vijay was successfully carried out to finally recapture occupied Tiger Hill in the Kargil region of Jammu and Kashmir on July 26, 1999. Since then, every year on July 26, events and programmes are held across the country.
This year, the Indian Army commemorated the 24th Kargil Vijay Diwas at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass. The Prime Minister, in a Hindi tweet, emphasized that Kargil Vijay Diwas is a poignant reminder of the exceptional courage exhibited by India’s unmatched warriors, who will forever remain a source of inspiration for the nation. In the meantime, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid tribute to the heroes of the Kargil war by laying a wreath at the Dras war memorial.
According to PTI, the two-day commemoration event to observe Vijay Diwas and honour the sacrifice of the 559 soldiers in the 1999 Kargil war began with a solemn ceremony on Tuesday. From the Lamochen viewpoint, war heroes and the families of the fallen soldiers gathered to pay homage to the brave souls. Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, the Northern Army Commander, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The event was followed by a cultural program in the presence of Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande.
All you need to know about Kargil Vijay Diwas
Operation Vijay, Safed Sagar and Operation Talwar
With the mobilisation of more than 2,00,000 troops of the Indian Army, India responded to Pakistani infiltrators with Operation Vijay. The government took the decision of involving airforce in the Kargil War on May 25. And this operation was given the code-name Operation Safed Sagar.
And not just Army and Indian Air Force, but the Indian Navy too strategically mounted pressure on Pakistan through Operation Talwar. The Navy was patrolling off the Pakistani coasts during the war aggressively.
And with the cumulative success of all three branches of armed forces, the Kargil War finally came to an end on July 26. That was the day when Indian soldiers were able to flush out all the Pakistani infiltrators from their illegally occupied positions and marked this day as Kargil Vijay Diwas.