Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday paid floral tributes to the martyrs of the Kargil war on the 20th anniversary of the event.
The Chief Minister laid the wreath at the War Memorial at the Bougainvillea Garden here, with glowing tributes to the heroic acts of the soldiers, including the 54 brave sons of Punjab, who laid their lives during the Kargil Operations.
Remembering their sacrifices on the Kargil Vijay Divas, Capt Amarinder exhorted the youth to follow their ideals to uphold the country’s sovereignty and integration, besides imbuing themselves with a spirit of patriotism and nationalism.
Capt Amarinder said the heroics of the Indian Army soldiers will remain etched as defining moments in the nation''s history. In a tweet, the Punjab chief minister said, "I salute our Bravehearts, who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting the sanctity of our nation".At the wreath laying ceremony, Director, Defence Services Welfare, Brigadier Satinder Singh apprised Capt Amarinder that such commemorative functions were also being simultaneously held at Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur and Sangrur, to honour the next of kin of the 54 Kargil heroes of Punjab.July 26 is celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas every year to mark India''s triumph over Pakistan in Operation Vijay. The Indian soldiers recaptured the mountain heights in Kargil sector on this day in 1999 from intruders backed by the Pakistani army, after an armed conflict that lasted a little over two months.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister also interacted with the young cadets of Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute, Mohali.