Kargil Vijay Diwas is an annual festival of India which is celebrated with great enthusiasm on the 26th of July every year by all Indians. It is associated with an important event related to the history of India. Kargil Vijay Diwas is observed all over the nation, and people from every corner of India celebrate it as it is free from the religious, regional, and any other difference. In many parts of India, the Kargil Vijay Diwas receives the status equal to Independence Day and the Republic Day of India.
Kargil Vijay Diwas 2020
Kargil Victory Diwas is a day of big historical victory for India. As it has a fixed date to be celebrated every year, it will fall on 26 July, Sunday in the year 2020. Because it is a day to feel proud of the soldiers of our nation, people from every state in India will stand together to observe such an auspicious occasion. Though it is not a national festival of India, it fills a sense of nationality among Indians.
History
The history of Kargil Vijay Diwas is associated with the war of Kargil, an important war in India. Kargil is a place in Ladakh, located in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
After the independence of India in 1947, the conflicts between India and Pakistan had become common and frequent. Although India wanted peace on all matters, Pakistan never agreed to it and tried to covertly infiltrate India several times.
In 1971, India helped East-Pakistan in being free from Pakistan and becoming an independent nation ‘Bangladesh’. The war started on 3 December 1971 and ended on 16 December 1971 which ended with the surrender of Pakistan.
Pakistan got disturbed with such a humiliating defeat and tried to infiltrate the Line of Control sometimes. The conflict between the two countries continued to increase, one of the reasons for which was the nuclear testing.
It was the year 1999 when both of the countries signed a peace declaration. Despite the peace treaty, Pakistan continued infiltrating India, in the response of which, India become forced to start an operation. The operation was named ‘Vijay’, and it was started in June 1999 at Kargil. Around 2000 of the Indian soldiers were involved in this operation. The operation Vijay or Kargil War officially ended on 26 July 1999 in which India had got a decisive victory.
Since the year 1999, the entire nation has been celebrating the Kargil Vijay Diwas on 26 July every year.
Celebration/Activities
The Kargil Vijay Diwas receives one of the grandest celebrations of the year in India. The Prime Minister of India, accompanied by the President of India and some other prominent personalities, visits Amar Jawan Jyoti near India Gate in New Delhi in the early morning. Amar Jawan Jyoti is the resting place of the martyrs of the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 and 1999. Some other political leaders and activists visit Amar Jawan Jyoti too to pay homage to our soldiers.
The Defence Ministry and other organisations launch some programmes as a celebration of the day. Some of these programmes remain for a day, while some last for a whole week or two or more weeks. The children in schools and societies are told about the glorious victory of India in the Kargil War, from the history of the nation. We hear patriotic songs over TV and Radio for the whole day, and some Television Channels broadcast patriotic movies too.
There are various functions held in different parts of the nations, telling the story of the Kargil War and making people aware of the gallantry of Indian defence Services.
Objectives and Significance
Kargil Vijay Diwas is a reflection of the unprecedented and proud victory achieved by India over Pakistan. By celebrating the day every year, we commemorate our brave soldiers and their sacrifices for the nation. By paying them homage on the day, we show them how much we respect them. The Kargil Vijay Diwas is also celebrated to make every generation of India aware of the capability of the defence services of India. Children are called the future of the nation, so they must know about such an important event in India.
Celebrating Kargil Vijay Diwas for every Indian is very important as it revives such a significant incident worth to be known and remembered for us and the next generation. It also gives a chance to all Indians to stand together, join hands, and show their unity in diversity. By forgetting all the differences, we show the same spirit of nationalism and prove our integrity to the world.
21 Years of Kargil Vijay Diwas
It has been almost 21 years since the Kargil war. During this time, there have been many changes regarding India’s military system and the relations between neighbours and other countries. India has also signed treaties of military exercises with several countries like Nepal China, Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka, etc.
Pakistan tried to divide India through various terrorist activities like Samjhauta Express bombing, attack on Parliament, attack on Mumbai, attack on Varanasi, etc. Despite all these terrorist activities, India always extended a hand of friendship towards Pakistan. Although India wanted to hold peace talks with Pakistan many times, but Pakistan has violated it every time. Some examples of efforts done by India are Lahore Summit, Shimla Summit, and Agra Summit. To strengthen the India-Pakistan relationship, a Standing Committee has been formed which works on it from various perspectives.
The Standing Committee works to make peace on the international borderline of both countries and to make life easier in the surrounding areas. The committee suggested that the government should pressurize Pakistan to expedite the investigation into the 26/11 Mumbai attack. Also, it suggested that both military and civilian policy options for tackling Pakistan-sponsored terrorism should be clarified.
India and Pakistan have signed an agreement prohibiting the attack on nuclear installations. Although both India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons, their nuclear principles are conflicting. India complies with the policy of ‘not using nuclear weapons first’, but not Pakistan. Additionally, coordination between China and Pakistan in missile and nuclear programs is increasing.
In September 2016, a limited counter-terrorism operation (surgical strike) was carried out by the Indian Army on the Line of Control (LoC). The surgical strikes were carried out on the basis of intelligence information about terrorist launch pads around the LoC and the possibility of terrorist attacks from Pakistan. Recently, the Government of India has revoked the article 370 which gave a special status to states of Jammu and Kashmir. Due to this, there has been a lot of stir in the Government of Pakistan. It has worsened the relationship between India and Pakistan.
Conclusion
Kargil Vijay Diwas is an Indian event of great historical importance. It is said that India is neither supported war ever nor has demanded it. Despite the peace treaty, we were forced to begin a war and the ‘karma’ was in the side of truth. Though the Kargil War a good lesson for Pakistan and other such countries which want to have a rivalry with India, Pakistan still tries to attack India secretly many times and fails all the time. It shows how much capable our soldiers are and how much dangerous it can be to fight with such a great nation India.