President hails valour of soldiers during Kargil war

While paying tributes to the fallen soldiers on the 20th anniversary of India's triumph in the Kargil war, President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday hailed their grit and valour in defending the country.

“President Kovind paid tributes to the martyrs by laying a wreath at the war memorial here,” an Army official said.

The President, supreme commander of the armed forces, could not attend the function at Drass as permission could not be granted for his aircraft to take off for Kargil due to inclement weather conditions in Ladakh.

Instead, the President laid a wreath at 15-Corps headquarters at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar along with J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik.

After wreath-laying, he tweeted: “On Kargil Vijay Diwas, a grateful nation acknowledges the gallantry of our Armed Forces on the heights of Kargil in 1999. We salute the grit and valour of those who defended India and record our everlasting debt to those who never returned. Jai Hind (sic).”

Meanwhile, three service chiefs paid tributes to the soldiers, who fell in the battlefield 20-years ago during the Kargil war, by laying down the wreaths at Kargil war memorial in Drass.

Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh were part of the victory celebration in Drass. Indian Army is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Kargil War to rekindle the pride and valour of the soldiers who took part in ‘Operation Vijay.’

The Kargil war memorial has around 500 tombstones with the name of soldiers inscribed in them. The Indian armed forces had defeated Pakistan on July 26, 1999. Since then, the day is celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas.

Sources said a ‘Victory Flame’ lit by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 14 July at the National War Memorial in Delhi was received by the Army Chief in Drass on Friday. It will be merged with the eternal flame at the Kargil war memorial.