If you ask an army officer, they will say that Kargil was only an operation, not a war. But more than 500 Indian soldiers lost their lives, and 1000s wounded. Whether a war or an operation, the scale was big, casualties heavy for both sides, and the significance of victory immense for India.
I was fortunate to engage with many Army officers during my stint as a consultant to Indian Army's DGOL (Directorate General of Operational Logistics). There were many interesting stories revealed about Operation Vijay. Before this fateful event, India and Pakistan had an understanding to not occupy high peaks near the LOC during winter months. This is due to extreme weather conditions and treacherous terrain. Op Vijay took place in Drass sector of Kargil district which experiences temperatures at such peaks of around -40 degrees celsius. It is also expensive to maintain army installation at such heights. To put things in perspective, Indian Army spends close to 5 crores rupees every day on a single post in Siachen. Each soldier wears a special clothing which costs around 75,000 rupees per set.
Pakistan Army and Kashmiri militants breached the understanding and based themselves on the top of Tiger Hills, and nearby peaks, in the winter of 1998-99. This gave them control over the critical Srinagar-Leh highway. The seize needed to be checked and thus the launch of Op Vijay offensive by India in the month of May 1999. Again I was extremely fortunate to visit the Op Vijay site, and Kargil war memorial, in Drass and interact with soldiers and officers there. I recorded a soldier describing events as they unfolded leading to the offensive and through it.
It has been 10 years since the Indian flag was hoisted on top of Tiger Hills. India has often been termed as a soft state on multiple occasions, but a time comes in history when it is only war that can bring peace.
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