There are moments in history that define a nation, its resolve, its character. Kargil Vijay Diwas, July 26, stands out. As India pays tributes to soldiers who drove out enemy forces and reclaimed Kargil heights 20 years ago, it is also a time to reflect on the mounting challenges. Like Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ‘glaring admission’, as New Delhi described it, a couple of days ago that there were ‘30,000 to 40,000 armed people’ in his country ‘who have been trained to fight in some part of Afghanistan or Kashmir’. India has demanded ‘credible and irreversible action’ against terror groups, but what exactly was Khan alluding to? With the FATF breathing down its neck, possibly a message that considering how far Pakistan has come on the terror highway, expecting it to retrace steps while dangling the stick won’t work.
On his return after his visit to the US, an exultant Pakistan premier had this to say: ‘Feels as if I’m coming home after winning the world cup.’ From Khan’s point of view, it’s been nothing short of a diplomatic coup by managing to regain a foothold in Washington, and staring at the opportunity to play its hand on the Afghanistan table considering Donald Trump’s desperation to exit the war-torn country. Twenty years after Kargil, a moment of truth again for India. Something spelled out abundantly while paying tributes to the bravehearts. In Parliament, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh minced no words: ‘Our neighbouring country (Pakistan) cannot fight a full-fledged war or a limited war with India. It is fighting a proxy war.’ And Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen MM Naravane: ‘Some people just don’t learn their lessons; you have to keep teaching them till they learn.’
Any mention of the victory in 1999 should start and end with the daring junior leadership. Here’s the IMA’s tribute: ‘The raw courage of Indian jawans at the tactical level and the swift execution of tri-services military strategy will remain legendary. We rejoice by celebrating the victory in Kargil and renew our resolve to safeguard the honour of the Tricolour.’