No rubbing Kargil salt in Pak wound

It’s learnt that at least two ‘‘formation commanders’’ have written to the Ministry of Defence, expressing their ‘‘unhappiness’’ over the decision. Over 500 soldiers died and more than 1,000 were injured in the 1999 Kargil war.

In the elections that followed the war, the BJP tried to encash the Kargil euphoria, its candidates even using posters of soldiers during their campaigns.

On the first Kargil anniversary in 2000, week-long festivities were held on the India Gate lawns with films and exhibition of weapons and war machines used in Kargil. The second anniversary was a quieter affair, observed with the lighting of candles at the Amar Jawan Jyoti. But the third anniversary last year was allowed to pass without any victory parade: the reason was the tense border stand-off with Pakistan. Plus there was buzz that US was mounting pressure on India not to aggravate the situation by organising shows of strength.

Every anniversary, it’s also asked what’s been done for the families of those who fell on the icy heights. A senior official, who has been interacting with the families of Kargil martyrs, said they had been promised LPG outlets and petrol pumps but many were still to receive them. In some cases, he pointed out, the Government had even failed to get them land allotted from the states concerned.

In fact, Petroleum Minister Ram Naik confessed today there was a problem in locating land in some cases. Receiving the Kargil Vijay Shradhanjali Kalash in New Delhi, Naik said petrol pumps and LPG agencies had been allotted to 312 families of the soldiers killed in Kargil. ‘‘Of this, 197 are petrol pumps and 115 LPG agencies.’’