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After 25 years, Pakistan Army admits involvement in 1999 Kargil war with India – Firstpost

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For the first time, General Asim Munir, the Pakistani army chief, publicly admitted the army’s role in the 1999 Kargil War.
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Twenty-five years after the Kargil war, the Pakistani army has for the first time accepted its participation in the deadly conflict with India. In a speech on Defence Day, General Asim Munir, the Pakistani army chief, said: “Whether it was 1948, 1965, 1971 or the Kargil war in 1999, thousands of soldiers sacrificed their lives for the country and Islam.”

The statement is seen as a change in Pakistan’s stance, moving away from its traditional narrative, as the Pakistani army has avoided openly admitting its direct role in the Kargil conflict, attributing it to “mujahideen” or “freedom fighters” in its official account.

In turn, Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister during the Kargil war, publicly criticized the military operation, which the Pakistani armed forces often consider a strategic “mistake.”

Lieutenant General (retired) Shahid Aziz, a former Pakistani military officer, had earlier admitted his soldiers’ role in Kargil after his retirement. He admitted this after his retirement.

Aziz described the operation as a “four-man show” known only to General Pervez Musharraf and a few other top commanders. Sharif, who signed the 1999 Lahore Declaration with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, later admitted that Pakistan had violated the agreement with its actions in Kargil.

The Ladakh and Kargil sectors have gone through a turbulent period since independence, with the region being at the forefront of significant battles in all the wars India has fought. Twenty-five years ago, in 1999, this remote area, isolated by high mountains and hostile climatic conditions, was the site of Pakistan’s military incursion across the Line of Control.

On May 3, 1999, locals first reported the presence of unidentified personnel in the Kargil sector. Reconnaissance patrols were quickly dispatched to check for the presence of infiltrators. The scale of Pakistan’s invasion and preparations were quickly revealed, and plans were made to dislodge Pakistani troops from the Indian side of the LoC. To prevent escalation of the conflict, the Indian government stipulated that Indian forces should not cross the LoC.

On May 26, 1999, the Indian Army launched Operation Vijay, a coordinated infantry and artillery attack with air support against regular Pakistani Northern Light Infantry troops occupying high mountain peaks and ridges to drive out the Pakistani intruders.