It was the month of February in the year 1999. The then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee reached Lahore to start Sada-e-Sarhad. Sada-e-Sarhad was the name given to the bus service which was to start between Delhi and Lahore. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was initially going to flag off the bus from Amritsar. But Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that it is not possible for sahab to come to our door and return without meeting us. The visit started with hospitality. While leaving, Atal Bihari Vajpayee created such an atmosphere with his words that Nawaz Sharif even invited him to contest elections from Pakistan. Hearing all this, it seems what a wonderful moment it must have been and how good the relations between the two countries must have been. But this warmth had ended within a few months when the soldiers of the Pakistani army occupied Kargil. Two and a half decades have passed since this incident and you must be asking why are we discussing it today. In fact, for the first time in 25 years, the Pakistani army has publicly accepted its participation in the 1999 Kargil war. Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, while addressing an event to mark the country’s Defence Day, said many soldiers had laid down their lives fighting in 1965, 1971 and the Kargil war in 1999. Pakistani community is a community of braves who understand the importance of freedom and how to pay for it. During the event in Rawalpindi, he said whether it was 1948, 1965, 1971 or the Kargil war of 1999, thousands of shuhadas (martyrs) have sacrificed their lives for Pakistan and Islam. This statement by the army chief is significant because earlier, the Pakistan Army had not publicly acknowledged its role in the 1999 Kargil War and referred to the infiltrators as Kashmiri freedom fighters or Mujahideen. This apparent admission has created a stir on social media, where netizens shared decades-old posts about Pakistan’s denial of its role in the war.
What happened in 1999?
Soon after the Lahore Declaration was signed between former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999 for peace and stability between the two countries, in May 1999 the Pakistani army crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and intruded into Jammu and Kashmir and seized Indian Army posts as part of an operation codenamed ‘Operation Badr’. Pakistani intruders had captured the strong defences of NH 1A in Drass of Kargil and Batalik sectors of Ladakh region with the aim of isolating the Indian Army in the Siachen Glacier and cutting off connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh.
Nawaz admitted his mistake
Nawaz Sharif admitted that Islamabad violated the agreement in 1999. Nawaz Sharif also admitted that it was Pakistan’s fault. This agreement was signed in Lahore during the tenure of Nawaz Sharif and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Nawaz Sharif said this while addressing the General Council. He said this in the context of the attack on Kargil by the former President.
Just yesterday, Omar Abdullah was defending Pakistan by shielding terrorist Afzal Guru.
Today Pak Army Chief acknowledged the role of Pak army in Kargil war.
Why does INDI alliance and Pakistan speak in same tone always? pic.twitter.com/Kxgk5VhwEX
— Pradeep Bhandari🇮🇳 (@pradip103) September 7, 2024
