Kargil Vijay Diwas 2021: 7 interesting facts about Indo-Pak war

New Delhi: The historic Kargil War was fought between May and July, 1999, in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir along the Line of Control (LoC). India's struggle, passion and resilience paid off in the end when India claimed victory on the spots occupied by Pakistani troops. Every year, the country celebrates Kargil Diwas on July 26 to remember the soldiers martyred in the war.

Kargil War

On this day, the country pays homage to the martyrs and remembers the sacrifices Indian soldiers made during the war. The war started on May 3, 1999, when Pakistan infiltrated into the high altitudes in the rocky mountainous region of Kargil with around 5,000 soldiers and captured the area. After it was alerted, the Indian Army launched 'Operation Vijay' in response to the neighbouring country.

For several weeks, the two countries fought to uphold their integrity and on July 26, the war ended after Indian soldiers pushed back the Pakistani troops from the captured areas.

Here are 7 interesting facts about the Indo-Pak war -

1. Kargil was part of the Baltistan district of Ladakh before India's Partition in 1947. It was separated by the LoC after the first Kashmir War.
   
2. Before the Kargil War, India and Pakistan had fought another war in 1971, one that led to the formation of Bangladesh.
3. The first intel of the war was received when some local shepherds noticed major activities in the foothills of Kargil on May 3, 1999. It was later discovered that the activity was carried out by Pakistani troops and terrorists.
4. The war was fought under a temperature of minus 10 degree Celsius.
5. On May 26, the Indian Air Force (IAF) launched 'Operation Safed Sagar' and used planes like Indian MiG-21, MiG-27 and Mirage 2000 to attack Pakistani soldiers. The fighters fired rockets and missiles from these planes to eliminate the enemies.
6. Indian Navy launched 'Operation Talwar' to block Pakistani ports during the war to stop the supply of oil and fuel.
7. Along with guns, rockets and bombs were used in the war. Over 2.50 lakh shells, bombs, and rockets were fired during the conflict.

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