Army pays tribute to Kargil martyrs

To mark the 13th anniversary of Kargil war which Indian soldiers fought and won against Pakistani invaders in 1999, the Army is celebrating the anniversary in a two-day function at Drass in Ladakh of Jammu and Kashmir.

The inaugural function was started on Wednesday in which a massive national flag, weighing 15 kg and measuring 37 and a half-foot in length and 25 feet in width, was hoisted at the War memorial in Drass. General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Army's Northern Command Lt Gen KT Parnaik and Member Parliament Naveen Jindal were present during the flag hosting function.

“At the function rich tributes were paid to the soldiers and the officers of Indian Army who laid down their lives in the war. This is a very important function and is aimed at to pay the tributes to our martyrs and celebrate the victory. The function based on a chain of programmes will end on Thursday,”  Srinagar-based defense PRO Lt Col JS Brar told TSI.

“The war widows and the kith and kin of the martyrs are particularly attending the anniversary function,” Brar added.

The local residents also participated in the event and a polo match was also played between a civil and army teams on Wednesday. Many artists exhibited their art during a cultural programme during the function. Noted musicians Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy performed a stage show. Also Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia is in Drass to be present during the celebrations.

Notably, the two-month war between the Indian army and Pakistani rangers and its invaders was started in the month of May in 1999. Finally the enemies withdrew from the occupied land and the mountains, which paved the way for the end of war. Five hundred jawans and officers of Indian Army were martyred in the conflict.