The 1999 Kargil operation was a strategic tactical loss but the then prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, made it into a massive victory, recalled Admiral Sushil Kumar who was the Navy chief during Kargil operation.
Speaking on the occasion of the launch of a book written by himself—A Prime Minister to Remember - Memories of Military Chief—Admiral Kumar called Kargil as the finest hour of Vajpayee and said though the former prime minister gave full credit to the armed forces for Kargil victory, he had made very much sure that our forces did not cross the Line of Control and it was a master stroke by him.
The three service chiefs during Kargil operation was expected to attend the book launch, but General Ved Malik could not make it. In his place, Lt Gen. Chandrasekhar (retd), who was the vice chief of the Army, took part in the event. Then IAF chief Air Chief Marshal (ACM) A.Y. Tipnis was also present on the occasion.
"As the vice chief, it's always my duty to stand for my chief," Lt Gen. Chandrasekhar addressed the gathering, adding that the Cabinet Committee on Security in a meeting on May 18, 1999 gave initial instructions on clearing the infiltrators.
"In all, 527 soldiers lost their lives while 1,323 were wounded," he said.
The IAF was given a go ahead to launch airstrikes on May 25, 1999, and they commenced airstrikes a day later.
Former IAF chief A.Y. Tipnis said Vajpayee’s prime ministership stands out for being pleasant, civil and urbane.
“No PM could have been so ill-equipped to face a war which fell in his lap,” he said pointing out that Vajpayee ran a coalition government with 23 different partners.
"In a meeting on May 25, Gen Malik asked for an air-power support as the Army was finding it difficult to tackle the intruder. When Vajpayee asked whether it could be done without air force support, the Army said it was required. So, after initial denial, the air force was given the go ahead," Tipnis said.
Tipnis also shared an anecdote of his equation with Vajpayee. “When Musharraf came to India as the head of the state in 2001, I chose not to salute him. But Vajpayee said 'I wish you had it'," the former air force chief said.
This year, the military is commemorating the two decades of Kargil operation. In the summer of 1999, India was caught off guard as Pakistani regular soldiers dressed up as irregulars occupied the icy heights in Kargil and adjoining areas. After initial losses, India drove away the adversary, but as a strategy refused to cross the Line of Control (LoC) or open new fronts.
July 26 is observed as Kargil Vijay Diwas to mark India taking back control of all mountainous peaks in Kargil and surrounding areas.