Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tributes to the bravehearts of the Kargil conflict on the 24th Kargil Vijay Diwas and said the occasion brings to the fore the heroic saga of those wonderful brave hearts of India who will always remain an inspiration for the countrymen.
“Kargil Vijay Diwas brings to the fore the heroic saga of those wonderful bravehearts of India, who will always remain an inspiration for the countrymen. On this special day, I bow down and salute them from the bottom of my heart. Long live India!,” tweeted PM Narendra Modi in Hindi.
President Droupadi Murmu also paid tributes and said that heroic stories of bravehearts will always inspire generations to come.
“Today, on the glorious occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, all the countrymen remember the victory achieved by the extraordinary valor of our armed forces. On behalf of a grateful nation, I pay tribute and bow to the memory of the fighters who paved the way for victory by sacrificing their lives to protect the country. Their heroic stories will always inspire generations to come. Jai Hind!” Priesident Murmu said in a tweet roughly translated from Hindi.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took to Twitter to pay his tributes to the fallen soldiers.
“On Kargil Vijay Diwas, join the nation in saluting the courage and unflinching commitment of our brave soldiers. We are ever grateful for their service and sacrifices,” tweeted S Jaishankar.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday arrived in Drass in the Kargil district of Ladakh for the 24th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas.
The day is marked every year to pay homage to the fallen soldiers in the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan.
The Raksha Mantri laid a wreath at the Kargil War Memorial here in memory of the fallen bravehearts in the icy heights of Kargil.
He was chief guest at the sombre commemoration event.
Army Chief General Manoj Pande, too, paid floral tributes to the fallen jawans at the Kargil War Memorial while Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar also laid a wreath in memory of the bravehearts.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Anil Chauhan, also laid a wreath at the Kargil War Memorial in tribute to the fallen soldiers in the Kargil conflict.
Earlier, on Tuesday, the Army held a press briefing on the commemoration event at Lamochen, Drass. The briefing commenced with an audio-visual narration of the battles showcasing the valour and sacrifice of the jawans in the Kargil conflict as it unfolded in 1999.
The conflict, as has been widely documented, pitted the Indian Army jawans against the Pakistani intruders in the rugged and unforgiving heights of Kargil.
In the conflict, which lasted over two months, the Army managed to push back the Pakistani intruders, who had been occupying certain vantage points in Kargil, raising the Tricolour on the territory wrested from the enemy.
The conflict played out in the frontlines in the Dras, Kargil and Batalik sectors of Kargil district.
The sombre commemoration of the jawans, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the conflict, took place in the scenic backdrop of the mountains where they had engaged the Pakistani intruders in fierce battles.
The sombre notes from the military band added to the sombre mood of the soldiers, who gathered for the commemoration of Kargil Vijay Divas.The event was graced by the presence of the war heroes and Veer Naris, Veer Matas and relatives of the soldiers, who laid down their lives on the line on duty during the conflict. (ANI)
