Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 13: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Army chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag will review situation in Jammu and Kashmir at the highest level and join ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’ celebrations at Drass mountain peak, located at a height of 10,990 feet from sea level, in Kargil district on July 25 and 26, the day when troops had pushed back the Pakistani soldiers and won the war against Pakistan in 1999.
Northern Army Command chief Lt Gen DS Hooda and other top Army Commanders will join the celebrations.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Defence Minister, who was part of high level security review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi yesterday, accompanied by the Army chief, were expected to first visit the Kashmir valley for high level review of security situation, working of counter-infiltration and counter-militancy Grids and infiltration attempts from the Line of Control (LoC) this summer.
This will be the first visit of the Defence Minister and the Army chief post-Burhan Wani violence in Kashmir, which has so far left 36 persons dead and hundreds of others including security personnel injured in the clashes and attacks on police and para-military installations.
Both Parrikar and Suhag, apart from the security review, will visit Drass mountain peak to attend ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’ celebrations, which this year have been scheduled for July 25 and 26. Several kin of Kargil martyrs, war veterans and top Army Commanders will attend the function, which is organized every year to pay tributes to the Army soldiers, who had sacrificed their lives while retaining the Kargil peaks, which had been captured by Pakistan army in early 1999.
Sources said the Army chief was in Australia on defence cooperation and study tour and was expected to return soon. However, Army was not involved in dealing with the ongoing protests, which were being tackled exclusively by the para-military forces and Jammu and Kashmir Police. Army was only involved in making arrangements for Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra and that too manning only the heights and surrounding the cave shrine.
However, sources said, Army was concerned about increase in infiltration attempts on the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kashmir valley this summer, with some of them being successful. Authorities were anticipating more such intrusion bids in the coming days for which anti-infiltration Grid has already been strengthened.
“The local recruitment of some militants has also become a cause of concern,’’ they said.
According to sources, the Defence Minister and the Defence Secretary were in constant touch with the top Army Commanders in Jammu and Kashmir and were obtaining regular inputs on the situation, which has developed in the Kashmir valley in the aftermath of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen divisional commander Burhan Wani.
Parrikar had also given detailed view of the situation in the Kashmir valley and security arrangements made for Shri Amarnath ji pilgrims to the Prime Minister at high level security review meeting yesterday.
“The participation of Parrikar in ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’ celebrations at Drass on July 25 and 26 will boost morale of the troops, who had fought three months between May and July in the highest mountain peaks to throw out the Pakistani army regulars, who had captured mountain peaks in 1999,’’ sources said.
The Pakistani intrusions were detected on May 3, 1999 after which full-fledged operations were launched and a limited war carried out in Kargil to oust the Pakistanis. It was on July 26 that the Indian Army had finally declared victory over Pakistan by re-capturing all peaks after ouster of Pakistan army personnel.
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