As the nation is commemorating 20 years of Kargil War victory, families of war heroes say that political leaders must come forward to resolve issues that lead to war-like situations.
"Government must sort out the issues. We cannot sacrifice our kids to die for militants. We are losing our soldiers on daily basis. Who is to blame for these casualties? Successive governments have only been reiterating that national security is a top priority, but nothing has actually been done. A mother should not lose her child, and the government should also be held accountable," said Meena Nayyar, mother of Captain Anuj Nayyar, who was awarded Mahavir Chakra, the second highest military decoration, posthumously.
Anuj Nayyar, of the 17th Battalion, Jat Regiment, was only 24 when he died in the 1999 Kargil War. His task was to recapture Pt. 4875, also known as Pimple II, then occupied by the Pakistani military. Nayyar, a young boy from Delhi, went with his platoon, and secured three out of four bunkers. While capturing the fourth bunker, he suffered severe injuries when a grenade fell on him.
She said that after Captain Anuj Nayyar's sacrifice, the family was given a petrol pump by the government. "Nothing can compensate the sacrifice of the soldier. We have lost our child. Such compensation can only be of a little comfort. But, my constant appeal to the political leadership is that they make a sincere effort to resolve issues like Kashmir so that a mother will not lose her child," Meena Nayyar, who works a librarian in South Campus, said.
Captain Nayyar's mother raised questions on the military strategy adopted to recapture positions in Kargil. "I am not a military expert. First of all, how did 2,000 intruders manage to occupy our peaks. Then, what was the hurry to let 550 people die for 2,000 intruders. It should have been planned better to avoid collateral damage," Meena said, while adding that soldiers were deprived of food and clothing and bullet-proof jackets when they were fighting with intruders in inhospitable terrain. "It is not justified to make our children die for terrorists. My son was fighting on an empty stomach."
Meena recalled his last conversation with his son Anuj. “He spoke to me last about 20 days before he was martyred. He did not tell me he was in Kargil. Probably not to worry me. He was sounding well-charged, with no signs of fear,” Meena narrated her last conversation. She was only informed by his senior that he was in the Kargil operations.
“His last letter came on June 29, he never said he was in a war. He used to say that he will take revenge on killing of innocent people by militants. His father told him if fight is inevitable, fight it out,” she said. Anuj Nayyar was martyred on July 7. He was promoted as captain on June 23 during the operation.
Similar disappointment was palpable in the words of Colonel V.N. Thapar (retd), father of Vijayant Thapar, who laid his life in the battle of Tololing in Kargil. Vijayant Thapar was awarded Vir Chakra posthumously.
"In my personal opinion, national security was not the top priority of the successive governments [after Kargil]. Though lots of thinking has been generated by the Kargil actions, in reality, the implementation has been absent. For instance, a very strong recommendation was made for chief of defence Services (CDS); the integration of the defence with armed forces is in a very sad stage. Moreover, budgetary allocation for modernisation of armed forces is not up to the requirement," Thapar told THE WEEK.
"Kargil was totally an intelligence débâcle. Whether it is 1947-48, 1962, 1965 and 1999, somehow we have always been surprised. The intelligence apparatus that requires to be gingered up for combat is not upto the mark. It is only because of young officers and jawans that we were able to turn the tide on Pakistanis."
But, he feels upset about the recent developments. "Small things hurt the pride of the soldiers and recent developments on disability pension is very unfortunate. Painting everyone with the same brush is very unfortunate. Why did the country stoop to this level instead of taking guilty to the task," he said, while adding that, "There was a time when the Army was at the highest pedestal. From the outside it looks fine. But, internally, developments reflect poorly. The treatment meted out to the soldiers are not in good taste," he was, pointing out the recent Army issues like cap on buying cars, no rations for peace posting and anomalies of pay.