Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday issued a strong warning to Pakistan, recalling past defeats and failures and saying Indian troops will use all their strength to crush any terrorism emanating from the country.
“I am speaking from a place where the (cross-border) terrorist supporters can hear me loud and clear,” he said after paying tribute to soldiers killed in the Kargil war, fought in the summer of 1999 in a mountainous area 170 km (110 miles) away.
“And I want to tell them that their evil plans will never succeed. Pakistan has tried in the past and failed. But Pakistan has not learned anything from history. It is trying to maintain its presence through terrorism and proxy wars.”
Relations between India and Pakistan remain at an all-time low since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, with no formal, sustained dialogue between the two countries.
The prime minister’s remarks were made while addressing a ceremony at the Kargil War Memorial to mark the 25th anniversary of the war that began after Pakistani forces captured strategic heights on the Indian side of the Line of Control, months after the Lahore Peace Declaration was signed in February.
The remarks are significant as they come at a time when a series of Pakistan-backed terror attacks have killed several soldiers in the Jammu region. These attacks raise questions about the major operational and intelligence challenges facing the army south of the Pir Panjal ranges.
India wanted peace but Pakistan had “once again shown its distrustful face”, the prime minister said. “In Kargil, we not only won the war but also showed a shining example of truth, restraint and strength.”
Pakistani infiltrators exploited gaps in Indian defenses and slipped across the Line of Control, capturing several high ground, some of which overlook the strategic Srinagar-Leh highway, a vital supply line. 527 Indian soldiers lost their lives while retaking the high ground from the Pakistani forces. Pakistani casualties have not been confirmed, but estimates vary from several hundred to several thousand.
“As per our intelligence estimates, their (Pakistani) forces suffered over 737 casualties, mainly due to our artillery fire,” reads a plaque in front of the Bofors gun, quoting the then Army Chief General VP Malik (retd).
“Kargil Vijay Diwas teaches us that days, months, years and eras may pass but the sacrifices made by our soldiers for the country remain immortal,” the Prime Minister said. “Be it Ladakh or Jammu and Kashmir, India will overcome all difficulties on the path of development.”
Lessons learned from the war and the events leading up to it led to a thorough overhaul of India’s intelligence apparatus, far-reaching military reforms, modernization of the armed forces, and significant improvements in border management.
