On Friday, the Pakistan Army confessed its fault in the 1999 Kargil War. It is the first time that the Pakistan Army has accepted publicly its involvement in the Kargil War and it comes nearly 25 years after Pakistan Army personnel infiltrated and occupied mountain peaks, in an act of betrayal to India’s bus outreach. The Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir delivered an address on its defence day. During his address, the Pakistan Army Chief said, “1948, 1965, 1971 or Kargil war between India and Pakistan, or Siachen, many have sacrificed themselves in them”.
While the Pakistani media reports have omitted his reference and remarks on the Kargil War, he could be heard appreciating Pakistani soldiers for brave acts during several wars with India including Kargil at around 1:40 minutes into this video. Till 6th September 2024, the Pakistani Army had never publicly accepted its direct involvement in the Kargil War. When the Kargil war broke out, Islamabad often referred to the infiltrators as ‘Kashmiri freedom fighters’ while denying their direct military involvement.
Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Ajay Bisaria said, ‘It is well accepted that the Kargil misadventure did not help Pakistan and was Musharraf’s folly, executed by him and a cabal of four generals. Nawaz Sharif has openly criticised it’. Earlier, only the retired Pakistani officials had accepted the involvement of their country’s army in the mountainous war against India. These retired officials included Lt Gen (retd) Shahid Aziz. He openly revealed the role of regular Pakistani troops in the Kargil misadventure.
Aziz described the operation as a ‘four-man show’ which was kept secret from other military commanders. According to the retired Pakistani official, the Kargil operation was known only to Gen Pervez Musharraf, chief of general staff Lt Gen Mohammad Aziz, FCNA (Force Command Northern Areas) commander Lt Gen Javed Hassan, and 10-Corps commander Lt Gen Mahmud Ahmad.
Ajay Bisaria further explained, ‘The Pakistan army’s direct involvement in Kargil is accepted in Pakistani writings, including the book by Naseem Zehra, which is based on interviews with Pakistani generals”.
Furthermore, Nawaz Sharif who was Pakistan’s PM during the Kargil war, also acknowledged the country’s involvement. However, he also accepted the Pakistan military’s role only after he left the office. He accepted that Pakistan had violated the 1999 Lahore Declaration, which he had signed with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
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