It's now clear Pakistan Army tortured Indian soldiers during Kargil war, says Captain Vikram Batra's father

On Friday, in a rare public admission by a serving Pakistani army chief, General Asim Munir spoke about the Kargil war of 1999 as one of the major wars his country fought with India.

Speaking during the Defence and Martyrs Day event at Rawalpindi, he highlighted the crucial role the Pakistan army played in defending the country and mentioned various conflicts with India, including the Kargil war.

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"Indeed Pakistani nation is a courageous and bold nation, which understands best the importance of independence and how to protect it at any price. Whether the Pak-India wars of 1948, 1965, 1971 and Kargil or Siachen conflict, thousands of martyrs gave sacrifices for the security and honour of the country," Munir was quoted as saying.

In the wake of these remarks, G.L. Batra, father of Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra said it has now become clear that the Pakistan Army tortured Indian soldiers during the conflict. "When they are saying that there was the involvement of the Pakistan Army in this, so it is clear that whatever torture was done on those soldiers was done by the Pakistan Army," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.

"When the Pakistan Army chief has accepted the fact that the entire Kargil war was initiated by the Pakistan Army, then if something can be done to give peace to the hearts of those old parents, it should be done," G.L. Batra further said.

Pakistan had initially claimed that private freedom fighters were involved in the Kargil conflict. However, as the scale of fighting went up, it became clear that the Pakistan army was involved in it. The conflict lasted for 60 days and ended on July 26, 1999, after the Indian Army reclaimed command posts occupied by infiltrators on the Indian side of the LoC.