Anurag Thakur honours martyrs at Kargil War Memorial, says 'Army's contribution matchless'

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Sports and Youth Affairs Anurag Thakur said on Saturday that the government is committed to "continuously to increase the morale of our army, to increase its strength," and informed that the Centre will be providing the Army with cutting-edge equipment.

Thakur was peaking from the Kargil War Memorial in Drass after paying his respects to martyrs who gave their lives to protect the country.

Speaking to ANI, Thakur said, "The government is working continuously to increase the morale of our army, to increase its strength. Nobody can match the contributions of these soldiers who protect our country. Be it better facilities at the borders of the country, weapons, fighter jets, bullet-proof jackets, roads or bridges, every effort is being made to arrange all this by the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On every Deepawali too, the Prime Minister is among the soldiers."

Anurag Thakur on Centre's plans to enhance facilities for the Indian Army

Saying that he, too, comes from a military background, Thakur recalled the sacrifices of martyrs who lost their lives in the Kargil conflict. He said that he is from Himachal Pradesh's "Veerbhoomi, the Devbhoomi,"  and added that soldiers from this state made the largest sacrifices.

Speaking at the Kargil War Memorial, Thakur expressed his appreciation of the Army for constructing the memorial. Many tourists travel from Ladakh to Srinagar, he said. He went on to say that the memorial was created in honour of soldiers who represented heroism and sacrificed their lives throughout the war. The Union minister informed that the memorial contains a wealth of information about "our heroes' lives and sacrifices."

"The army has kept these warriors' memories, and the Amar Jawan Jyoti, which is blazing continually, serves to keep these heroes' memories alive while also encouraging the youth," said Thakur.

Operation Vijay and the Kargil War 

The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed battle between India and Pakistan that took place in Jammu and Kashmir's Kargil region and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC) from May to July 1999. The battle is also known in India as Operation Vijay, after the Indian military operation that cleared up the Kargil area.

During the war, the Indian Air Force worked alongside Indian Army infantry to drive back the Pakistan Army from Indian positions along the Line of Control. Operation Safed Sagar was the codename for the mission.

Between 3 May and 26 July 1999, 527 Indian Army soldiers were martyred and over 1,300 soldiers injured after the Pakistani Army infiltrated into Indian territory and captured the peaks of Kargil. The Pakistani Army, too, suffered significant losses and was ultimately defeated.

Pakistan blamed the fighting entirely on independent Kashmiri insurgents in the early stages of the conflict, but documents found later and statements by then Pakistan Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff revealed the involvement of Pakistani paramilitary forces. The Indian Army, with the assistance of the Indian Air Force, reclaimed the majority of the locations on the Indian side of the Line of Control. Pakistani soldiers withdrew from the remaining Indian outposts along the LoC after facing worldwide diplomatic pressure. On July 26, 1999, the Indian Army reclaimed the entire area, and the day is commemorated as Kargil Vijay Diwas every year.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: PTI)