Prof Dr. K L Bhatia
“Quartered in snow, silent to remain. When the bugle calls, they shall rise and march again”. —- The scroll of honour at the Siachen base camp
Kargil Vijay Diwas has to be looked from the precepts of national and international relations. Kargil Vijay Diwas reminds us the victory of Indian forces over evil designs of those who were bent upon to continue the past tense and indefinite state of affairs; Kargil Vijay Diwas erases the past tense and imperfect state of affairs to future definite.
The genesis of Kargil war (3 May 1999 – 26 July 1999) seems to be shortly after the signing of the Lahore declaration in 1999 and was surreptitiously started by Pakistani forces disguised as Kashmiri terrorists alike Afridis of 1947 thus beginning of an armed conflict between India and Pakistan in the Kargil district of Ladakh along the Line of Control (LoC) of Jammu Kashmir in which India got the victory. Therefore 26 day of July is dedicated to the martyred soldiers of the Kargil war and as such this day is commemorated to pay homage to the Kargil martyrs’ supreme sacrifice to uphold and safeguard the sovereignty and integrity the Indian Nation that is Bharat.
The amazing facts about Kargil Vijay Diwas have been identified to unfold the mystiques as well as devisive designs of Pakistan intruders, namely, :
* Kargil war took place in the Kargil district of Jammu Kashmir along the the Line of Contro; (LoC). Pakistan army sent its soldiers in the name of intruders, infiltrators with the sole objective to cut the connections between Ladakh and Kashmir and to create tensions at the Indian border.
* On 3rd May 1999 Pakistan started this war and had infiltrated into the high altitudes in the rocky mountainous region of Kargil and captured it. The Indian Government launched Operation Vijay by the Indian army with the sole aim to throw back the intruders who had treacherously occupied Indian Territory.
* It is pertinent to know the scenario before the Kargil war. In 1998-1999 during the winters, the Pakistani army secretly started training and sending troops near Kargil to dominate the region with sole gimmick-game plan of claiming Siachen Glacier. Pakistani army fictitiously exclaimed that the intruders were not the Pakistani soldiers but the Mujahideen. Pakistan wanted to generate international pressure on India through this tactics forcing India to negotiate for the Kashmir.
* After the Indo-Pak war of 1971 there have been many military conflicts. Besides, both the countries have conducted nuclear tests in 1998 that had escalated tensions. To calm the tensions, the two countries signed The Lahore Declaration in February 1998.
* The Pakistani army speciously started Operation Badr with the sole object to break the link between Kashmir and Ladakh and pressurizing Indian armed forces to to withdraw the Indian Army from Siachen Glacier. The Pakistan did it so believing that creating any kind of tension in this geographical area would help in making the Kashmir issue an international issue.
* The Indian Armed Forces extensively used Operation Safed Sagar during this war to calm down Pakistani intrusions by using the IAF planes MiG, Jaguars and the Mirage
* A large number of rockets and bombs were used in this war. The Tigher Hill was regained. It is said that this was the only war after World War II in which a large number of bombardments were carried out on the enemy army.
* Finally, India won the determined victory.
* Thus, the determined victory is proclaimed Kargil Vijay Diwas and 26th July is observed to commemorate the victory of Indian soldiers over the infiltrating Pakistani troops.
The Pakistani government’s evil design, as usual, defied the Lahore Declaration to wean India that seems to be inclined to bleed India to the last drop. Pakistan administration’s cumulative attitude is fraught with both danger and disaster, and there has been a debit balance throughout so far achievements are concerned with coup de grace results. Be that as it may, a glance at the Lahore Declaration unfolds that had there been sincerity to translating the vision of peace and stability on the part of Pakistan administration there could have been progress and prosperity for the peoples. It was aspired to achieving durable peace and development of harmonious relations and friendly cooperation that would serve the vital interests of the peoples enabling them to devote their energies for better future; it was recognized that the nuclear dimension of the security environment adds to the responsibility for avoidance of conflict; it was the foundational resolve to adhere to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations for peaceful co-existence; to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms; to vigorously implement the Simla Agreement in letter and spirit; to pursue the objectives of universal nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation; to recognize the importance of mutually agreed confidence building measures for improving the security environment; to respect to refrain from intervention and interference in each others internal affairs; to reaffirm their commitment to the goals and objectives of SAARC and to concert efforts towards the realization of the SAARC vision.
In the backdrop of the above, it discerns that obstinate attitude of any nation state whittles down international relations and appears to be a stumbling block in promoting relations of international peace. It may be submitted that war is no solution to any strife or difference of opinion or expansionism of inter-State relations/territory/ boundaries at international level. Inter-se-dialogue or debate is the only solution to resolve differences to reinstate international peace for amity and synergetic relationship. And that is the law of international diplomacy in international synergetic relations. Had it been there there could not have been Decline and Fall of Roman Empire and Rise and Fall of Third Reich. A lesson to learn that pride hath a fall.
“Tough Times Don’t Last, Tough Men Do”
Therefore,
“Hum Karen Rashtra Aaradhana
Tan Se, Man Se, Dhan Se
Tan, Man, Dhan, Jeevan Se”
(The author is Former Dean and Head Faculty of Law and Founder Director The Law School University of Jammu)
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