Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday led the nation in paying tributes to the martyrs and heroes of the 1999 Kargil war, saying it was not only fought on the border but every village and city contributed to the fight against the enemy.
“In Kargil, each of our soldiers proved more than a 100 of the enemy. I salute the brave soldiers who thwarted the evil designs of the enemy without caring for their own lives. The Kargil war was not fought only on the border but every village, every city contributed to it,” the Prime Minister said in his radio programme Mann ki Baat, coinciding with the 16th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Divas. Earlier in a tweet, Modi said, “I salute the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the beloved nation.”
“This war was fought by those mothers and sisters whose sons and brothers were in the battlefield. It was fought by those girls, who had just been married, those fathers who gave their sons and felt young themselves, and those sons who had not even learnt to walk properly holding the finger of their fathers. It is because of their sacrifices that India can move in the world holding its head high,” the Prime Minister said.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha and Navy vice-chief Vice Admiral P Murugesan too paid tributes to the martyrs by laying wreaths at the Amar Jawan Jyoti in Delhi.
Amid the commemorations, Defence services veterans held a protest at Jantar Mantar in the national Capital against the delay in implementation of 'One Rank, One Pension' scheme. Addressing them, social activist Anna Hazare, himself a former soldier, said he will hold rallies to “awaken” the people on the issue and hold a protest at Ramlila Maidan on October 2.
Several events are planned at Army outposts across the country to celebrate the Kargil victory and pay respect to the over 400 soldiers who were martyred in the Kargil war.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also recalled the courage and sacrifice of Kargil martyrs. “Remembering today the Kargil martyrs - their courage and their sacrifice in the service of the nation,” said a tweet on his Twitter handle 'Office of RG'.