Army to recreate victory scenes to mark twentieth anniversary of Kargil war

Garkhon (J&K): Twenty years after Indian troops recaptured several mountain tops overlooking the strategic Srinagar-Leh highway from Pakistani intruders, they will again scale the jagged heights and recreate the victory scenes to mark the anniversary of the Kargil war on July 26.

People living along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Batalik sector, where the intrusion by Pakistani troops was first detected by some residents in early May 1999, say they are looking forward to relive the moment when the troops unfurled the Indian flag after some of the fiercest battles of the conflict.

The 20th anniversary of "Operation Vijay" will be

celebrated with the theme 'Remember, Rejoice and

Renew' and troops from three battalions will undertake expeditions to the peaks where their units had fought under impossible conditions to drive out the intruders.

"We 'remember' our fallen heroes by revisiting their sacrifices which instills pride and respect. We 'rejoice' by celebrating the victory in Kargil and we 'renew' our resolve to safeguard the honour of the tricolour," an Army official said on Saturday on the theme of this year's celebration.

Troops from 2 Rajputana Rifles will scale Tololing peak, 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles will climb Point 4875 (now known as Batra top) and 1/9 Gorkha Rifles will ascend Khalubar summit, he said.

Another officer, who fought in Batalik, said, "Everyone talks of Tololing and Tiger Hill, but the battles of Khalubar, Jubar and Kukarthang were far tougher."

Besides the rugged terrain and freezing temperatures, tactically too the Batalik battles were more difficult, he said.

"The enemy had made deeper inroads over a wider area, meaning there were more heights to be won with fewer resources," he explained.

A treacherous ridgeline in the Batalik sector, Khalubar saw a major battle with 1/11 Gorkha Rifles leading the fight. Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey led the final assault and was awarded the country's highest gallantry award Param Vir Chakra.

The terrain of Batalik-Yaldor-Chorbatla sector is the most rugged after the Siachen Glacier, with heights ranging from 15,000 feet to 19,000 feet. pti