Indian soldiers and top brass gathered yesterday in the remote Himalayan foothills to commemorate the 1999 Kargil War.
Yesterday’s ceremony marked the 25th anniversary of the conflict’s end.
“Times change, seasons change, but the names of those who give their lives for the country live forever,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who laid a wreath for India’s fallen soldiers, told the crowd at a memorial for the conflict in the town of Drass.
Modi’s speech capped two days of events showcasing India’s military might at the border, with a flyover by air force jets and a choreographed performance by fire-breathing soldiers.
The high-altitude confrontation being commemorated began when militants crossed into Indian territory at Kargil, a remote outpost on the shared frontier with Pakistan.
At least 1,000 people were killed over the following 10 weeks.
Kargil is feted as one of India’s greatest military triumphs. “We are stronger economically, military-wise and technologically,” General Ved Prakash Malik, India’s army chief at the time of the conflict, said.
