17th Kargil Vijay Diwas: PM Modi hails sacrifices of India's courageous soldiers

NEW DELHI: Hailing the sacrifices of India's courageous soldiers on the 17th Kargil Vijay Diwas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India will never forget the fearlessness with which the soldiers gave a befitting and unforgettable reply to the intruders. "On Kargil Vijay Diwas, I bow to every valiant soldier who fought for India till the very last breath. Their heroic sacrifices inspire us. India will never forget the fearlessness with which our courageous soldiers gave a befitting and unforgettable reply to the intruders," Prime Minister Modi tweeted. He also took the opportunity to praise the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government for displaying firm political leadership and said, "We recall with pride, the firmness demonstrated by India's political leadership in 1999, which ensured a decisive victory in Kargil." Meanwhile, the Army officers and Kargil war heroes kins' paid homage to Kargil war heroes in Jammu and Kashmir's Dras. Indian and Pakistani armies fought the Kargil War in May-July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). India launched 'Operation Vijay' to clear the Kargil sector of infiltration by the Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants on the Indian side of the Line of Control. The day is observed on July 26 every year in honour of the Kargil War Heroes. Defence Minister Manohar Parikar, India Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha will pay homage to Kargil martyrs at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate in the national capital today. It was on this day in 1999 that the Indian Armed Forces, as part of the 'Operation Vijay', recaptured Indian posts in Kargil which had been occupied by the Pakistan army.