After 25 Years, Pakistan Army Appears To Admit Its Role In Kargil War For The First Time

Twenty-five years after the 1999 Kargil War, the Pakistan Army has appeared to acknowledge its involvement in the deadly conflict with India. The apparent admission came from Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir during his Defence Day speech on Friday.

“In 1948, 1965, 1971, and Kargil wars between India and Pakistan, as well as in Siachen, thousands have sacrificed themselves in these conflicts,” General Munir said during the speech at the Pakistan Army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi, in what is seen as a first-of-its-kind statement. Munir’s mention of Kargil came in the same breath as the three other wars Pakistan has fought with India, even as he paid tributes to the “sacrifices of martyrs” in Pakistan’s forces.

‘Kashmiri freedom fighters, mujahideens’

The Kargil War, fought between May and July 1999, saw Pakistani troops infiltrate the Indian side of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kargil district. India, under what is kown as Operation Vijay, forced the intruders to withdraw from strategic posts.

In the past, Islamabad has time and again denied direct military involvement, referring to the infiltrators as “Kashmiri freedom fighters” or “mujahideens” (guerilla fighters). The Muslim-majority nation has also claimed that Pakistan forces were “actively patrolling” while “tribal leaders” occupied the heights.

Munir’s apparent admission after all these years has caused a buzz on the social media platform X, with several journalists sharing decades-old posts about the Pakistan army’s refusal to accept the bodies of its personnel.

Nonetheless, Pakistan’s involvement in the Kargil War has been an open secret, but an admission from the incumbent chief of the country’s powerful militray in a public address makes it significant. Earlier, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was in office during the war, has openly criticised the operation, which is dubbed as a “strategic blunder” and “political disaster” even within Pakistan.

After his retirement, Lt Gen (retd) Shahid Aziz, a former Pakistani military officer, has touched upon the role of Pakistani troops in Kargil. Aziz has described the operation as a “four-man show”, known only to General Pervez Musharraf and a few other top commanders. There have been reports that even Sharif and the country’s Chiefs of Air Force and Navy were not kept in the loop.

The target of the Kargil War was to cut off the link between Kashmir and Ladakh, block the National Highway-1, and force the Indian forces to compromise their positions from the Siachen glacier, according to news agency IANS. The planners thought such an assault would force India to retreat and come to the talks table on Kashmir on Islamabad’s terms. But the Pakistani operation was a massive failure thanks to the valour of Indian soldiers who retook key peak points and forced the intruders to scurry away, with then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announcing Operation Vijay to mark the end of the conflict in what was a decisive victory for India.

The episode became even more embarrassing for Paksitan with its army not only denying its involvement but also refusing to accept the bodies of its soldiers, who were later buried by Indian forces.

BJP Reacts

Responding to the development BJP Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said, “Pakistan’s role in terrorism, and Kargil war has been out in the open but now Pakistan has also acknowledged it, but Cong and its allies like National Conference still advocate for talks with Pakistan. They question Afzal Guru’s hanging, in the garb of Modi opposition, they are actually doing Bharat Oppositionthey are not for nation first but for family first.”