Major Anwar Khan
61-635: Other conflicts Border skirmishes Strikes The Battle of Tololing was a pivotal battle in the Kargil War between India and troops from one full battalion of Pakistan ’s Northern Light Infantry who were aided by Pakistani irregulars in 1999. The Tololing peak dominates over the Srinagar - Leh Highway ( NH 1D ), which is a vital link. Peaks in Tololing include Point 5140 and Point 4875, etc. Tiger Hill (Point 5060), including Point 5100,
122-601: A feature documentary hosted by Maj Gen G. D. Bakshi , aired on the Indian television channel Epic TV . It details the political and military background and course of the battle. 34°27′51″N 75°47′45″E / 34.46417°N 75.79583°E / 34.46417; 75.79583 Kargil War Indian victory Indian official figures: Pakistani claims: Independent figures: Pakistani figures: Indian claims: Other conflicts Border skirmishes Strikes The Kargil War , also known as
183-451: A few days. Subsequent discovery of infiltration elsewhere along the LOC, and the difference in tactics employed by the infiltrators, caused the Indian army to realise that the plan of attack was on a much bigger scale. The total area seized by the ingress is generally accepted to between 130 and 200 km (50 and 80 sq mi). The Government of India responded with Operation Vijay,
244-406: A final assault on the peak in which ten Pakistani soldiers and five Indian soldiers were killed, Tiger Hill finally fell. A few of the assaults occurred atop hitherto unheard of peaks—most of them unnamed with only Point numbers to differentiate them—which witnessed fierce hand to hand combat . As the operation was fully underway, about 250 artillery guns were brought in to clear the infiltrators in
305-532: A fortress. Any attack to dislodge a defender from high ground in mountain warfare requires a far higher ratio of attackers to defenders, and the difficulties would be exacerbated by the high altitude and freezing temperatures. Kargil is just 173 km (107 mi) from the Pakistani-controlled town of Skardu , which was capable of providing logistical and artillery support to Pakistani combatants. A road between Kargil and Skardu exists , which
366-429: A manoeuvre India was not willing to exercise due to the likely expansion of the theatre of war and reduced international support for its cause. Two months into the conflict, Indian troops had slowly retaken most of the ridges that were encroached upon by the infiltrators; according to the official count, an estimated 75–80% of the intruded area and nearly all the high ground were back under Indian control. Following
427-581: A mobilisation of 200,000 Indian troops. However, because of the nature of the terrain, division and corps operations could not be mounted; subsequent fighting was conducted mostly at the brigade or battalion level. In effect, two divisions of the Indian Army, numbering 20,000, plus several thousand from the Paramilitary forces of India and the air force were deployed in the conflict zone. The total number of Indian soldiers that were involved in
488-537: Is located 205 km (127 mi) from Srinagar , facing the Northern Areas across the LOC. Like other areas in the Himalayas , Kargil has a continental climate. Summers are cool with frigid nights, while winters are long and chilly with temperatures often dropping to −48 °C (−54 °F). An Indian national highway ( NH 1 ) connecting Srinagar to Leh cuts through Kargil. The area that witnessed
549-639: Is the senior most appointment in the army who is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee in a separate capacity, usually consulting with the Chairman joint chiefs to act as a military adviser to the Prime Minister and its civilian government in the line of defending the land borders of the country. The Chief of the Army Staff exercises responsibility of command and control of
610-490: Is to the west of Tololing. Many of the Indian Army losses had to do with the nature of the terrain, as World War I style frontal charges had to be mounted to dislodge the intruders and reclaim the peaks. The three-week assault finally culminated with India taking control of the peak and changing the course of the war. Major Rajesh Adhikari ( posthumously ), Major Vivek Gupta ( posthumously ), Major Padmapani Acharya ( posthumously ) and Havildar Digendra Kumar were awarded
671-597: The ASEAN Regional Forum too supported India's stand on the inviolability of the LOC. Faced with growing international pressure, Sharif managed to pull back the remaining soldiers from Indian territory. The joint statement issued by Clinton and Sharif conveyed the need to respect the LOC and resume bilateral talks as the best forum to resolve all disputes. A number of Indian soldiers earned awards for gallantry. Four Param Vir Chakras and 11 Maha Vir Chakras were awarded. The following units were awarded
SECTION 10
#1732782734832732-589: The COAS' unit citations for their exemplary role in the war - Two Pakistani soldiers received the Nishan-e-Haider , Pakistan's highest military gallantry award: Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan) The Chief of the Army Staff ( COAS ) is a position in the Pakistani Army held by a four-star general . As the highest-ranking officer, it is the most powerful position in the army. This
793-584: The Indian Army to flush out the Pakistan Army and paramilitary troops from vacated Indian positions along the LoC, in what was designated as Operation Safed Sagar ( Hindi : ऑपरेशन सफेद सागर , lit. ' White Sea ' ). The conflict was triggered by the infiltration of Pakistani troops—disguised as Kashmiri militants —into strategic positions on the Indian side of the LoC, which serves as
854-541: The Kargil conflict , was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Ladakh (erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir ) and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referred to as Operation Vijay ( Sanskrit : विजय , lit. ' Victory ' ), which was the codename of the Indian military operation in the region. The Indian Air Force acted jointly with
915-515: The Leh–Manali Highway . The infiltrators, apart from being equipped with small arms and grenade launchers , were also armed with mortars , artillery and anti-aircraft guns . Many posts were also heavily mined , with India later stating to have recovered more than 8,000 anti-personnel mines according to an ICBL report. Pakistan's reconnaissance was done through unmanned aerial vehicles and AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radars supplied by
976-600: The Maha Vir Chakra , India's second highest war time military honour for their daring actions on the peak. Col Ravindranath and Captain Vijayant Thapar were awarded Vir Chakra . From Pakistan's side, Major Abdul Wahab ( posthumously ) was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat , Pakistan's third highest military honour as Major Abdul Wahab was killed defending the captured peak. Turning Point at Tololing ,
1037-962: The Marpo La ridgeline in Dras, in Kaksar near Kargil, in the Batalik sector east of the Indus River , on the heights above of the Chorbat La sector where the LOC turns North and in the Turtuk sector south of the Siachen area. Initially, these incursions were not detected for a number of reasons: Indian patrols were not sent into some of the areas infiltrated by the Pakistani forces and heavy artillery fire by Pakistan in some areas provided cover for
1098-754: The Mirage 2000 fleet, which commenced operations on 30 May. The Indian Navy also prepared to blockade the Pakistani ports (primarily the Karachi port ) to cut off supply routes under Operation Talwar . The Indian Navy's western and eastern fleets joined in the North Arabian Sea and began aggressive patrols and threatened to cut Pakistan's sea trade. This exploited Pakistan's dependence on sea-based oil and trade flows. Later, then– Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif disclosed that Pakistan
1159-536: The Mushkoh Valley and the town of Drass , southwest of Kargil, as well as the Batalik sector and other areas northeast of Kargil. Kargil was targeted partly because the terrain was conducive to the preemptive seizure of several unoccupied military positions. With tactically vital features and well-prepared defensive posts atop the peaks, a defender on the high ground would enjoy advantages akin to that of
1220-613: The Sino-Soviet border conflict ). India had conducted its first successful test in 1974 ; Pakistan, which had been developing its nuclear capability in secret since around the same time, conducted its first known tests in 1998 , just two weeks after a second series of tests by India . Before the Partition of India in 1947, Kargil was a tehsil of Ladakh , a sparsely populated region with diverse linguistic, ethnic and religious groups, living in isolated valleys separated by some of
1281-432: The de facto border between the two countries in the disputed region of Kashmir . During its initial stages, Pakistan blamed the fighting entirely on independent Kashmiri insurgents, but documents left behind by casualties and later statements by Pakistan's Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff showed the involvement of Pakistani paramilitary forces, led by General Ashraf Rashid . The Indian Army, later supported by
SECTION 20
#17327827348321342-460: The military operation on the Kargil-Drass sector was thus close to 30,000. The number of infiltrators, including those providing logistical backup, has been put at approximately 5,000 at the height of the conflict. This figure includes troops from Pakistan-administered Kashmir who provided additional artillery support. The Indian Air Force launched Operation Safed Sagar in support of
1403-587: The wind chill factor, the temperatures were often as low as −15 to −11 °C (5 to 12 °F) near the mountain tops. Based on military tactics , much of the costly frontal assaults by the Indians could have been avoided if the Indian Military had chosen to blockade the supply route of the opposing force, creating a siege . Such a move would have involved the Indian troops crossing the LOC as well as initiating aerial attacks on Pakistani soil, however,
1464-518: The Army Chief and a senior Pakistani general where the latter is recorded saying: "the scruff of [the militants] necks is in our hands", although Pakistan dismissed it as a "total fabrication". Concurrently, Pakistan made several contradicting statements, confirming its role in Kargil, when it defended the incursions saying that the LOC itself was disputed. Pakistan also attempted to internationalise
1525-601: The Chief of the Army Staff was created from the previous title Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army in 1972. Since 1972, there have been 10 four-star rank army generals to be appointed as chief of army staff by statute. The Prime Minister approved the nomination and appointment of the Chief of Army Staff, with President confirming the Prime Minister's appointed choosing and nomination. The army leadership
1586-559: The Indian Air Force, recaptured a majority of the positions on the Indian side of the LoC; facing international diplomatic opposition, Pakistani forces withdrew from all remaining Indian positions along the LoC. The Kargil War is the most recent example of high-altitude warfare in mountainous terrain , and as such, posed significant logistical problems for the combatting sides. It also marks one of only two instances of conventional warfare between nuclear-armed states (alongside
1647-578: The Indian side of the LOC. Following the Washington accord of 4 July 1999, when Sharif agreed to withdraw Pakistani troops, most of the fighting came to a gradual halt, but some Pakistani forces remained in positions on the Indian side of the LoC. In addition, the United Jihad Council (an umbrella for extremist groups) rejected Pakistan's plan for a climb-down, instead deciding to fight on. The Indian army launched its final attacks in
1708-583: The Kargil War. First, Pakistan infiltrated forces into the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir and occupied strategic locations enabling it to bring NH1 within range of its artillery fire. The next stage consisted of India discovering the infiltration and mobilising forces to respond to it. The final stage involved major battles by Indian and Pakistani forces resulting in India recapturing most of
1769-469: The Kargil region, but the plans had been shelved for fear of drawing the nations into all-out war. Some analysts believe that the blueprint of attack was reactivated soon after Pervez Musharraf was appointed chief of army staff in October 1998. After the war, Nawaz Sharif , Prime Minister of Pakistan during the Kargil conflict, claimed that he was unaware of the plans, and that he first learned about
1830-529: The Kashmir issue, by linking the crisis in Kargil to the larger Kashmir conflict , but such a diplomatic stance found few backers on the world stage. As the Indian counter-attacks picked up momentum, Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif flew to meet US President Bill Clinton on 4 July to obtain support from the United States. Clinton rebuked Sharif, however, and asked him to use his contacts to rein in
1891-829: The Kashmir issue, helping it to secure a speedy resolution. Yet another goal may have been to boost the morale of the decade-long rebellion in Jammu and Kashmir by taking a proactive role. Pakistani Lieutenant General Shahid Aziz , and then head of ISI analysis wing, has confirmed there were no mujahideen but only regular Pakistan Army soldiers who took part in the Kargil War. "There were no Mujahideen, only taped wireless messages, which fooled no one. Our soldiers were made to occupy barren ridges, with hand held weapons and ammunition", Lt Gen Aziz wrote in his article in The Nation daily in January 2013. Some writers have speculated that
Battle of Tololing - Misplaced Pages Continue
1952-463: The LOC and escalating the conflict into an all-out war. G8 nations supported India and condemned the Pakistani violation of the LOC at the Cologne summit. The European Union also opposed Pakistan's violation of the LOC. China , a long-time ally of Pakistan, insisted on a pullout of forces to the pre-conflict positions along the LOC and settling border issues peacefully. Other organisations like
2013-455: The US. The initial Indian attacks were aimed at controlling the hills overlooking NH 1, with high priority being given to the stretches of the highway near the town of Kargil. The majority of posts along the LOC were adjacent to the highway, and therefore the recapture of nearly every infiltrated post increased both the territorial gains and the security of the highway. The protection of this route and
2074-488: The ability nor the wherewithal to seize land and defend it. Moreover, while the army had initially denied the involvement of its troops in the intrusion, two soldiers were awarded the Nishan-E-Haider (Pakistan's highest military honour). Another 90 soldiers were also given gallantry awards, most of them posthumously , confirming Pakistan's role in the episode. India also released taped phone conversations between
2135-720: The conducting of nuclear tests by both countries in 1998, led to an increasingly belligerent atmosphere. In an attempt to defuse the situation, both countries signed the Lahore Declaration in February 1999, promising to provide a peaceful and bilateral solution to the Kashmir conflict . During the winter of 1998–1999, some elements of the Pakistani Armed Forces were covertly training and sending Pakistani troops and paramilitary forces, some allegedly in
2196-466: The guise of mujahideen , into territory on the Indian side of the LOC. The infiltration was codenamed "Operation Badr"; its aim was to sever the link between Kashmir and Ladakh, and cause Indian forces to withdraw from the Siachen Glacier , thus forcing India to negotiate a settlement of the broader Kashmir dispute. Pakistan also believed that any tension in the region would internationalise
2257-517: The highway which was under Pakistani fire) a priority for India. From their 130+ covertly occupied observation posts , the Pakistani forces had a clear line-of-sight to lay down indirect artillery fire on NH 1, inflicting heavy casualties on the Indians. This was a serious problem for the Indian Army as the highway was the main logistical and supply route. The Pakistani shelling of the arterial road threatened to cut Leh off, though an alternative (and longer) road to Leh existed via Himachal Pradesh ,
2318-413: The infiltration and fighting is a 160-kilometre (100 mi) long stretch of ridges overlooking this only road linking Srinagar and Leh. The military outposts on the ridges above the highway were generally around 5,000 m (16,000 ft) high, with a few as high as 5,485 m (17,995 ft). Apart from the district capital, Kargil, the populated areas near the front line in the conflict included
2379-421: The infiltrators. But by the second week of May, the ambushing of an Indian patrol team led by Capt Saurabh Kalia , who acted on a tip-off by a local shepherd in the Batalik sector, led to the exposure of the infiltration. Initially, with little knowledge of the nature or extent of the infiltration, the Indian troops in the area assumed that the infiltrators were jihadis and claimed that they would evict them within
2440-529: The international arena, its precarious economic situation, and the mounting international pressure, the Pakistani establishment was compelled to negotiate a face saving withdrawal from the residual areas on the Indian side of the LoC, thereby restoring the sanctity of the LoC, as was established in July 1972 as per the Simla Agreement . Pakistan was heavily criticised by other countries for instigating
2501-443: The invading force back across the LOC. The Battle of Tololing , amongst other assaults, slowly tilted the combat in India's favour. The Pakistani troops at Tololing were aided by Pakistani fighters from Kashmir. Some of the posts put up a stiff resistance, including Tiger Hill (Point 5140) that fell only later in the war. Indian troops found well-entrenched Pakistani soldiers at Tiger Hill, and both sides suffered heavy casualties. After
Battle of Tololing - Misplaced Pages Continue
2562-519: The last week of July in co-ordination with relentless attacks by the IAF, both by day and night, in their totally successful Operation Safed Sagar ; as soon as the Drass subsector had been cleared of Pakistani forces, the fighting ceased on 26 July. The day has since been marked as Kargil Vijay Diwas (Kargil Victory Day) in India. In the wake of its successive military defeats in Kargil, diplomatic isolation in
2623-552: The militants and withdraw Pakistani soldiers from Indian territory. Clinton would later reveal in his autobiography that "Sharif's moves were perplexing" since the Indian Prime Minister had travelled to Lahore to promote bilateral talks aimed at resolving the Kashmir problem and "by crossing the Line of Control, Pakistan had wrecked the [bilateral] talks". On the other hand, he applauded Indian restraint for not crossing
2684-570: The mobilisation of Indian land forces on 26 May. The Indian government cleared limited use of Air Power only on 25 May, for fear of undesirable escalation, with the fiat that IAF fighter jets were not to cross the LOC under any circumstance. This was the first time any air war was fought at such high altitudes globally, with targets at altitudes between 1,800 to 5,500 metres (6,000 to 18,000 ft) above sea level . The rarified air at these altitudes affected ballistic trajectories of air to ground weapons, such as rockets, dumb and laser guided bombs. There
2745-499: The operation's objective may also have been retaliation for India's Operation Meghdoot in 1984 that seized much of Siachen Glacier. According to India's then army chief Ved Prakash Malik , and many scholars, much of the background planning, including construction of logistical supply routes, had been undertaken much earlier. On several occasions during the 1980s and 1990s, the army had given Pakistani leaders ( Zia ul Haq and Benazir Bhutto ) similar proposals for infiltration into
2806-541: The operational, combatant, logistics, and training commands within the army. The appointment, in principle, is constitutionally subjected to be for three years after the approval by the President on the recommendations of the Prime Minister. The Chief of the Army Staff is based in the GHQ , and the current Chief is General Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah , serving in this capacity since 29 November 2022. The designation of
2867-421: The outbreak of armed fighting, Pakistan sought American help in de-escalating the conflict. Bruce Riedel , who was then an aide to President Bill Clinton , reported that US intelligence had imaged Pakistani movements of nuclear weapons to forward deployments for fear of the Kargil hostilities escalating into a wider conflict. However, President Clinton refused to intervene until Pakistan had removed all forces from
2928-423: The outposts manned by the Pakistani soldiers, who were out of visible range. The Indian Army mounted some direct frontal ground assaults which were slow and took a heavy toll given the steep ascent that had to be made on peaks as high as 5,500 metres (18,000 ft). Since any daylight attack would be suicidal, all the advances had to be made under the cover of darkness, escalating the risk of freezing. Accounting for
2989-403: The posts that were in the line-of-sight . The Bofors FH-77B field howitzer played a vital role, with Indian gunners making maximum use of the terrain. However, its success was limited elsewhere due to the lack of space and depth to deploy it. The Indian Air Force was tasked to act jointly with ground troops on 25 May. The code name assigned to their role was Operation Safed Sagar It
3050-671: The recapture of the forward posts were thus ongoing objectives throughout the war. The Indian Army's first priority was to recapture peaks that were in the immediate vicinity of NH 1. This resulted in Indian troops first targeting the Tiger Hill and Tololing complex in Dras, which dominated the Srinagar-Leh route. This was soon followed by the Batalik-Turtok sub-sector which provided access to Siachen Glacier . The recapture of Point 4590 on Tololing by Indian troops on 14 June
3111-463: The regular Pakistani army at that time) covertly and overtly set up bases on 132 vantage points of the Indian-controlled region. According to some reports, these Pakistani forces were backed by Kashmiri guerrillas and Afghan mercenaries . According to General Ved Malik , the bulk of the infiltration occurred in April. Pakistani intrusions took place in the heights of the lower Mushkoh Valley, along
SECTION 50
#17327827348323172-494: The situation when he received an urgent phone call from Atal Bihari Vajpayee , his counterpart in India. Sharif attributed the plan to Musharraf and "just two or three of his cronies ", a view shared by some Pakistani writers who have stated that only four generals, including Musharraf, knew of the plan. Musharraf, however, asserted that Sharif had been briefed on the Kargil operation 15 days ahead of Vajpayee's journey to Lahore on 20 February. There were three major phases to
3233-483: The territories held by Pakistani forces and the subsequent withdrawal of Pakistani forces back across the LOC after international pressure. During February 1999, the Pakistan Army sent forces to occupy some posts on the Indian side of the LOC. Troops from the elite Special Services Group as well as four to seven battalions of the Northern Light Infantry (a paramilitary regiment not part of
3294-445: The war, as its paramilitary forces and insurgents had crossed the LOC ( Line of Control ). Pakistan's primary diplomatic response, one of plausible deniability linking the incursion to what it officially termed as "Kashmiri freedom fighters ", was in the end not successful. Veteran analysts argued that the battle was fought at heights where only seasoned troops could survive, so poorly equipped "freedom fighters" would neither have
3355-587: The world's highest mountains. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-1948 concluded with the Line of Control bisecting the Ladakh district, with the Skardu tehsil going to Pakistan (now part of Gilgit-Baltistan ). After Pakistan's defeat in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 , the two nations signed the Simla Agreement promising not to engage in armed conflict with respect to that boundary. The town of Kargil
3416-600: Was apparently killed by his captors as his body was returned riddled with bullet wounds. One Indian Mi-8 helicopter was also lost due to Stinger SAMs . French made Mirage 2000H of the IAF were tasked to drop laser-guided bombs to destroy well-entrenched positions of the Pakistani forces and flew its first sortie on 30 May. The effects of the pinpoint non-stop bombing by the Mirage-2000, by day and by night, became evident with almost immediate effect. In many vital points, neither artillery nor air power could dislodge
3477-614: Was closed in 1949. After the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 , there had been a long period with relatively few direct armed conflicts involving the military forces of the two neighbours—notwithstanding the efforts of both nations to control the Siachen Glacier by establishing military outposts on the surrounding mountains ridges and the resulting military skirmishes in the 1980s. During the 1990s, however, escalating tensions and conflict due to separatist activities in Kashmir , some of which were supported by Pakistan, as well as
3538-525: Was in this type of terrain that aerial attacks were used, initially with limited effectiveness. On 27 May 1999, the IAF lost a MiG-27 strike aircraft piloted by Flt. Lt. Nachiketa , which it attributed to an engine failure , and a MiG-21 fighter piloted by Sqn Ldr Ajay Ahuja which was shot down by the Pakistani army, both over Batalik sector.; initially Pakistan said it shot down both jets after they crossed into its territory. According to reports, Ahuja had bailed out of his stricken plane safely but
3599-441: Was left with just six days of fuel to sustain itself if a full-scale war had broken out. The terrain of Kashmir is mountainous and at high altitudes; even the best roads, such as National Highway 1 (India) (NH1) from Srinagar to Leh, are only two lanes. The rough terrain and narrow roads slowed down traffic, and the high altitude, which affected the ability of aircraft to carry loads, made control of NH 1 (the actual stretch of
3660-498: Was no opposition at all by the Pakistani Air Force, leaving the IAF free to carry out its attacks with impunity. The total air dominance of the IAF gave the aircrew enough time to modify aiming indices and firing techniques, increasing its effectiveness during the high altitude war. Poor weather conditions and range limitations intermittently affected bomb loads and the number of airstrips that could be used, except for
3721-418: Was significant, notwithstanding the fact that it resulted in the Indian Army suffering the most casualties in a single battle during the conflict. Although most of the posts in the vicinity of the highway were cleared by mid-June, some parts of the highway near Drass witnessed sporadic shelling until the end of the war. Once India regained control of the hills overlooking NH 1, the Indian Army turned to driving
SECTION 60
#1732782734832#831168