The Kargil war was declared over on July 26, 1999, after Indian soldiers pushed back Pakistani troops, a bulk of them drawn from the neighbouring country’s Northern Light Infantry, from the captured peaks in Kargil. Here’s a timeline of how the Kargil war unfolded.

Here is a timeline of how India trounced Pakistan:

  • May 3: Some shepherds intimated the Indian Army after spotting Pakistani infiltrators at the Jubar ridgeline in Batalik. At that juncture, it was unclear as to whether they were regular soldiers or terrorists sent from across the borders. Meanwhile, the 70 Infantry Brigade arrived at Drass.
  • May 5-15: Several patrols were conducted in the Kaksar Langpa area of Kargil district, to check for the presence of intruders and also see if the snow had retreated enough for the summer positions to be re-occupied. Leading a patrol to the Bajrang post on May 15, Captain Saurabh Kalia along with 5 other soldiers- Sepoys Arjun Ram, Bhanwar Lal Bagaria, Bhika Ram, Moola Ram and Naresh Singh were captured by Pakistani troops. It came to the fore that Pakistan had infiltrated the Dras, Kaksar, and Mushkoh sectors.
  • May 18: The troops of 56 Mountain Brigade captured Points 4295 and 4460.
  • May 21: The 8 Sikh regiment started the siege of Tiger Hill which was one of the highest peaks in the region overlooking the National Highway connecting Srinagar and Kargil
  • May 23: The Indian Army Chief visited the Kargil sector and discussed the plan for the operations.
  • May 26: The Indian Air Force commenced air strikes against the Pakistani infiltrators.
  • May 27: Two IAF fighter jets- MiG-21 and MiG-27 were shot down by Anza surface-to-air missiles of the Pakistan Army’s Air Defence Corps. Flt Lt  Kambampat Nachiketa, the pilot of the MiG-27, was taken as a prisoner of war by Pakistan.
  • May 28: An IAF MI-17 was shot down by Pakistan and 4 crew members were killed.
  • May 29: Pakistan proposed sending its then Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz to talk with the Indian government to To de-escalate the rising tension between the two nations.
  • May 31: The then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee publicly announced that there was a ‘war-like situation’ in Kargil.
  • June 1: Pakistan escalated the tensions by bombing National Highway 1
  • June 3: Due to mounting global pressure, Pakistan released Flt Lt  Kambampat Nachiketa.
  • June 5: The Indian Army released proof of Pakistan’s involvement citing documents recovered from three Pakistani soldiers.
  • June 6: The Indian Army launched a major offensive in Kargil.
  • June 7: Two key positions in the Batalic sector were re-captured by the Indian Army
  • June 9: Pakistan returned the mutilated and disfigured bodies of 6 Indian soldiers including Captain Kalia triggering outrage across India.
  • June 11: The then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh released transcripts of the conversations between Pakistani Army chief Gen Pervez Musharraf and Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Mohammed Aziz as proof of Pakistan’s involvement.
  • June 12: A deadlock persists even as talks take place between India External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and Pakistan Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz.
  • June 13: The 56 Brigade of the Indian Army secured Totoling and Point 4590 after a fierce battle.
  • June 15: In a stern message, US President Bill Clinton asked Nawaz Sharif to pull out his troops from India.
  • June 23: General Zinni, Commanding General United States Central Command visited Pakistan to urge Nawaz Sharif to withdraw his forces from J&K. Meanwhile, the G-8 Nations also called for an end to the intrusion.
  • June 29: The Indian Army recaptured Point 5060 and Point 5100 near Tiger Hill.
  • July 1-3: Point 5000 and Point 5287 were captured by the 70 Brigade.
  • July 4:  In a major success, the 192 Brigade recaptured Tiger Hill
  • July 5: Following Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with US President Bill Clinton in the White House, Pakistan announced the withdrawal of its forces from Indian soil
  • July 7-11: The Indian Army re-captured key peaks in Batalik
  • July 14: Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared ‘Operation Vijay’ a success amid the withdrawal of Pakistani troops from the region.
  • July 26: The Kargil war officially comes to an end with the Indian Army announcing the complete expulsion of Pakistani intruders.

 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR