Saturday, 26 July 2025
Saturday, 26 July 2025
A cold breeze gently passes through the Lamochan view point in the picturesque town in Kargil district of Ladakh, where a sombre gathering has been organised to pay homage to the martyrs of the 1999 Kargil War.
The sunlight kisses the naked peaks of the Drass sector overlooking the Valley, once a battleground between the Indian Army and the Pakistani intruders disguised as Kashmiri terrorists.
In the gathering, Beena Mahat stands out from the rest, including the brave soldiers and the families, friends and relatives of the fallen heroes of the Kargil War.
The 26th Kargil Vijay Diwas, which marks the victory of India over Pakistan in the 1999 war, is a day which holds deeper meaning for those who lost their loved ones.
One such mother is Beena. Sifting through her family album, she recalls how her son became the target of the enemy's bullets in the war.
"I am finding a sense of peace at this place where my son laid down his life for the honour of the country. I have come here for the first time, and I want this to be the last also,” she says.
Holding an old album of pictures of her son, she mustered courage to visit the Drass sector, which turned into a battleground 25 years ago. Tears roll down her cheeks as she sees her younger son's pictures.
Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday launched three projects, including a portal where people can pay 'e-shradhanjali' to martyrs, as part of the 26th Kargil Vijay Diwas.
The others were a QR code-based audio gateway, on which people can listen to the stories of the 1999 Kargil war battles fought, and the Indus Viewpoint, which offers people a chance to go up to the Line of Control (LoC) in the Batalik sector.
Batalik was one of the main battlegrounds during the Kargil war.
Located at an altitude of over 10,000 feet, Batalik was the focal point of the Kargil war due to its strategic location between Kargil, Leh, and Baltistan.
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday said the Kargil Vijay Diwas symbolises the extraordinary valour and steadfast determination of the country's jawans, and paid tributes to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the 1999 conflict.
"On the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, I pay my heartfelt tribute to the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the motherland. This day symbolises the extraordinary valour, courage, and steadfast determination of our jawans. Their dedication and supreme sacrifice for the nation will forever inspire its citizens. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!" Murmu said in a post in Hindi on X.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted people on the 26th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas.
Modi said said this occasion reminds the country of unparalleled courage and valour of its soldiers who sacrificed their lives for defending the country's pride.
Their spirit to sacrifice themselves for the motherland will inspire every generation, he said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid tributes to the military personnel who made supreme sacrifices to ensure India's victory in the 1999 Kargil war."
On Kargil Vijay Diwas, I pay heartfelt tributes to our bravehearts who displayed extraordinary courage, grit and determination in defending our nation's honour in the toughest of terrains," Singh said
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth laid wreaths at the Kargil War Memorial.
Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta also paid floral tributes as Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi led other top officers of the armed forces in paying homage to the 545 soldiers who laid down their lives during the conflict with Pakistan in 1999.
The next of kin of the martyrs and local residents were among the first to lay wreaths at the war memorial as they began arriving as early as 6 am. Later, helicopters flew over the memorial and showered flower petals as a mark of respect.
The Last Post ceremony was held as a mark of respect for the martyrs, serving as a mark of the culmination of the wreath-laying ceremony.
