Chandigarh, June 14

The 1999 Kargil conflict was fought amidst a highly challenging situation with serious deficiencies in equipment and information as well as financial constraints. Stating this here today, former Chief of the Army Staff, Gen VP Malik, who was heading the force at that time, said despite such adversities, the men rose to the occasion.

Speaking at a motivational seminar organised by the National Cadet Corps here today to mark the conflict’s 25th anniversary, he said some countries tried to sell old ammunition and pass off second-hand equipment to India.

Sanctions levied on India due to the nuclear tests a year earlier added to the problem as much required ammunition and equipment could not be procured from overseas. In this light, he stressed for a strong indigenous military industrial base.

General Malik said now the situation along the Line of Control in Kashmir, where the two-month war had been fought to evict Pakistani intruders who had transgressed into India territory, has vastly improved and many operational and logistical deficiencies have been overcome with the induction of new equipment.

Among other speakers was Lt Gen YK Joshi, former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, who had commanded the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles battalion that had captured key positions in the conflict, resulting in Capt Vikram Barta and Rifleman Sanjay Kumar being decorated with the Param Vir Chakra.

Presentations were also made on the capture of Tiger Hill, capture of Batra Top, where Vikram Barta had made the supreme sacrifice, lessons learnt from the conflict and the role of Ladakh Scouts, the regiment that draws its manpower from Ladakh.

Delivering the keynote address, NCC Director General Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh said such events served as an important platform to motivate the youth and make them aware about the experiences and gallant deeds of the soldiers.

About 500 NCC cadets, associate NCC officers, research scholars, faculty from colleges and universities and other distinguished guests along with senior officers from the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh NCC Directorate attended the event.