Army to hold Kargil war victory celebrations tomorrow

The popular musical trio Shankar,Ehsaan and Loy will also perform a stage show as part of the anniversary commemoration,army officials in charge of organising the events here said.

Kargil war,which began in May 1999,lasted for more than two months before Pakistani soldiers,a bulk of them drawn from its Northern Light Infantry,and irregulars withdrew from the mountain tops they had occupied overlooking the Srinagar-Leh highway.

In the battles with the Pakistani forces and irregulars,the Indian Army lost 490 officers,soldiers and jawans,many of whom were posthumously felicitated with gallantry awards.

Drass War Memorial,which has been built in the foothills of Tololing Hill,will host most of the ceremonies scheduled for the next two days.

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army’s Northern Command Lt Gen K T Parnaik and MP Naveen Jindal will be the chief guests at the anniversary events.

Widows and relatives of the soldiers who lost their lives in Kargil,Mushkok,Batalik and Drass will also be present at the events,army officials said.

The major events,which include wreath laying,a memorial service and the stage show by the Bollywood trio,are scheduled for Thursday

Drass town,150 kms from the summer capital Srinagar,was a major battle zone in the summer of 1999 and rose to its fame in the aftermath of the war for being associated with Tiger Hill and Tololing Hill,which were also stages for many Bollywood films.