Kargil War-Role of Pakistani heroes

Since the partition of British India in 1947 and the creation of dominions of India and Pakistan, the two countries have been involved in a number of wars, conflicts and military stand-offs. The Kargil war was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LOC).

Causes of the war

The Kashmir issue and across the border terrorism have been the cause of conflicts between the two countries mostly with the exception of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 where conflict originated due to turmoil in erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Kashmir is a long-standing burning issue between Pakistan and India.   Due to Kashmir, the world’s two largest nuclear powers are always on the brink of war.

Indo-Pakistani War of 1999

Commonly known as the Kargil War, this conflict between the two countries was mostly limited. During early 1999, Pakistani troops penetrated across the Line of Control (LoC) and occupied Indian territory mostly in the Kargil district. However, India responded by launching a major military and diplomatic offensive to expel the Pakistani infiltrators.

Two months into the conflict, Indian troops had slowly retaken most of the ridges that were encroached by the infiltrators. According to the official count, an estimated 75%–80% of the intruded area and nearly all high ground was back under Indian control.

Fearing large-scale escalation in military conflict, the international community, led by the United States, increased diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to withdraw forces from the remaining Indian Territory. By the end of July 1999, organized hostilities in the Kargil district had ceased.

Inconsistency in Pakistani political and military leadership

Senior journalist Naseem Zehra wrote a book on the Kargil war, titled ‘From Kargil to Coup’, which confirmed that there was a discrepancy between Pakistan’s political and military leadership on the Kargil operation.

According to Naseem Zehra, when the operation ended, the military leadership gave a full briefing to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Defense Committee in May 1999, about six months after the war.

On the other hand, the military leadership of Pakistan denies all these allegations. According to the Pakistan Army, the political leadership was not only aware of the Kargil operation but also took it into confidence before the operation.

India admits failure

Lt. Gen. (retd) Mahendra Puri, who belongs to the Indian Army, said in a statement earlier last year that when Pakistan invaded the Kargil area in 1999, it was a major failure of our military intelligence and other intelligence agencies.

According to the Indian army official, Pakistan landed in Kargil to highlight the Kashmir issue while it was not the first step taken by Pakistan.

Kargil War hero- Karnal Sher Khan

Karnal Sher Khan was born on 1 January 1970 in Naway Kallay, Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). After completing his intermediate education at a government postgraduate college in Swabi, he first joined Pakistan Air Force (PAF) as an Airman but later joined Pakistan Army as a commissioned officer in 1992.

During the Kargil War, Sher Khan was deployed at the Gultari region. He along with his fellow soldiers established five strategic posts at height of 17,000 feet at Gultari. Indian Army launched eight attacks on their position to capture the strategic posts. However, Khan and his men were able to defend those strategic posts.

On 5 July 1999, the Indian army launched another attack and surrounded his posts with two battalions. Despite the shortage of ammunition and army soldiers, Khan was successful in forcing the enemy to retreat.

During the battle, he was hit by machine-gun fire but still continued ferociously fighting along with his soldiers and achieving his objectives. Later during the battle, Sher Khan succumbed to his injuries and died.

Indian Army Brigadier Bajwa wrote a citation for Captain Khan for his bravery, after which his body was returned to the Pakistani Army. Khan was posthumously awarded Pakistan’s highest military honor, the Nishan-e-Haider.

Havaldar Lalak Jan

Lalak Jan was born on 1 April 1967 at Yasin village, in the Ghizer District of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). After completing his education, he joined the Pakistan Army on 10 December 1984 and eventually rose up to the rank of Havaldar.

Havildar Lalak Jan was serving in Northern Light Infantry Regiment when skirmishes broke out in Kargil in 1999. Havildar Lalak Jan of the Northern Light Infantry Regiment fought from the forefront to thwart heavy Indian attacks.

He volunteered to be deployed on the front positions located at the jagged peak in May 1999. Havildar Lalak Jan repulsed back many aggressive ventures by the enemy and imposed colossal losses on them.

On 7 July 1999, Havildar Lalak Jan sustained serious injuries as enemies pounded the area with heavy mortar shells. But despite being injured, he retained his position and frustrated the Indian assault. Due to severe injuries, he embraced martyrdom and was graciously awarded The Nishan-e-Haider for his bravery.