Nuclear Threat

Inside Pakistan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sheriff was under intense political pressure and at the same time was unable to receive any help from the UK and the USA. He urged the Indian government to order its troops from the Line of Control but the reply he received was not a favourable one. In the meantime the Pakistani Defence Minister made a comment that caused alarm. He announced that he would authorise any weapons to be used in action at any time, and to certain members in the United Nations this meant that Pakistan may use nuclear weapons. In reply the Indian authorities indicated that if any missiles landed on Indian soil it would consider its position and retaliate accordingly. In the USA and the UK the respective authorities became concerned and piled more pressure on Pakistan not to use such weapons.

Charlie Company

A group was formed between 13 JAK Rifles and 17 JAT Rifles which became known as 'Charlie Company'. The commander was Col YK 'Joe' Joshi, and he decided that it was best to split the group into two sections. One was led by Captain Vikram Batra of the 13 JAK Rifles, and the other by Major Deepak Rampal of the 17 JAT regiment, whose second-in-command was Captain Anuj Nayyar, also of the 17 JAT regiment.

One of the strategic points in the Kargill conflict was Tiger Hill, which had been occupied by Pakistani troops in support of the Mujahideen. But a nearby extremely steep-sided hill, named 'Point 4875', which measures 15,990ft above sea level, was equally important and was considered to be almost impossible to capture without any support from the Indian Air Force. At this time, the Indian Air Force was unable to give any support in the region, and with each day that passed, the Indian Army came under severe pressure to secure this point. This was also at a time when the battle to push the intruders back across the Line of Control was beginning to ascend to its peak.

On 6 June during the initial phase of the assault, the company commander became injured, and it was then that Captain Anuj Nayyar decided to take action by leading his team to capture the point. Upon doing this, the captain noticed that there were four enemy bunkers, and decided to fire a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at it, destroying it. They then charged at the remaining three bunkers, during which they came under heavy mortar fire from Pakistani soldiers. This was followed by hand–to–hand combat; but upon clearing the fourth bunker an RPG shell fell on the captain, killing him instantly.

The Noose

In the meantime as global pressure was building on Pakistan to withdraw its troops from the Indian side of the Line of Control, the Indian authorities decided it was time to place a noose around Pakistan, and ordered its western naval fleet to join the others who were patrolling the Arabian Sea. This went as far as to include amphibious landing troops. Many ships were also converted to aircraft carriers which were capable of accommodating Jump Jets, but the main aim was to blockade all Pakistani ports.

With this in place the noose was firmly tied, and threatened to escalate the conflict further. The Indian authorities then made a statement in which it mentioned that Pakistani troops were aiding the Mujahideen who had infiltrated the line. In response to this the Pakistani government insisted that none of its troops were involved in the conflict.

Saving Face - the Meeting with Clinton

Deep inside, Sheriff and his men knew that the conflict was being lost and in order to 'save his face', Nawaz Sheriff flew to the US to meet President Clinton, despite the fact that he had been warned not to unless he had a concrete offer of withdrawing troops, as well as a plan to hand over the leader and founder of Al–Qaeda.

On 4 July the Pakistani leader met the world's most powerful man, President Clinton. The President of the United States indicated his displeasure by informing the Pakistani leader that he had let him down, as well as the United States, and that he would not let that happen again. He also went on to indicate that Pakistan had still not fulfilled its promise by capturing and handing over Osama Bin Laden¹. He went on to add that the Lahore meeting with the Indian leader had been the best road to take, but this had been completely undermined by the invasion at Kargil by Mujahideen and Pakistani troops.

In response to this, the Pakistani leader argued that India was the first to test nuclear weapons, and that it was India who had refused to hold elections which would determine the future of Kashmir. The American president agreed, but still insisted that the Pakistani troops and the Mujahideen withdraw from the Line of Control, as they were on the wrong side.

In the meantime, one of the aides handed over a file which contained information indicating that Pakistani authorities had ordered nuclear weapons to be moved into position, possibly to attack. President Clinton then informed the Pakistani leader about Pakistani military authorities preparing to fire nuclear missiles at India. In reply, the Nawaz Sheriff stated that India may be doing the same thing. But the American president was not moved and reminded his counterpart of the 1960s Cuban missile crisis, and how close they had come to a conflict then. Several hours later, the Pakistani leader left the US after agreeing to withdraw from the Line of Control and calling for a ceasefire. But the call for ceasefire came too late for many such as Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey of the 1/11 Gurkhas, Captain Anuj Nayyar and Captain Vikram Batra.

Khalubar

A group of men who played a vital role in the conflict to drive back the intruders were Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey and his men of the 1/11 Gurkhas. After recapturing Jubar top in the Batalik sector, near the Line of Control, they were instructed to make their advances on another area of the sector — Khalubar. On reaching the target on the night of 2/3 July, the group came under heavy enemy fire. The task of 'clearing' the area was then handed over to the lieutenant and his men.

After being placed in an advantageous position, the platoon soon managed to take back some of the enemy fortified positions. During the fierce battle that followed, the lieutenant managed to kill four men singlehanded, but during this fight he got shot in the shoulder. Despite also being shot in the chest, Lt Manoj Pandey continued to lead the assault on one more position, urging his men to destroy it. He then hurled a grenade at it before succumbing to his injuries.

Recapture of the Points

It was very important for the Indian Army to recapture Points 4750 and 4875, near Tiger Hill and Mount Tololing, close to the Line of Control. On the night of 6 July, as the captain and his men returned after the capture of Points mentioned, the captain was ordered to return to Point 4875 to help a wounded officer. On reaching the Point in the early hours of the following morning, the captain ordered his men to advance and give him cover while he reached the wounded officer. Upon reaching the soldier who was bleeding profusely, medics were called and told to take the wounded officer down to the base camp for medical attention.

As this began, the intruders opened fire and an order was given to fire back to give cover to the medics who were carrying the wounded officer on a stretcher. As the firing intensified, the captain ordered his men to retreat and call for re–enforcements while he would try and hold the position. Moments later, after the firing ceased, all seemed quiet and the young captain ascertained that all the intruders were dead. As he left his position, a sniper's bullet hit him in the chest, piercing major blood vessels in his heart. But before the captain fell to the ground, he managed to throw a grenade in the direction of where the bullet had been fired from.

Later, Colonel YK 'Joe' Joshi arrived to find Captain Vikram Batra on the ground, breathing very slowly — moments later, the young captain closed his eyes forever. He was just 24 years old. Amongst all this tragedy, one man can be said was a hero in true movie style. During the assault on Point 4875, Rifleman Sanjay Kumar of the 13 JAK Rifles found himself out of ammunition and at the same time was shot in both his thighs. Locating the intruders, he fought with them and killed them with his bare hands. Managing to take a UMG from one of them, he then followed on by killing several more. Later, when everything was calm and the unit was ordered to move out, the rifleman refused to move until the entire area was cleared. The capture of Points 4750 and 4875 by Captain Batra and his men enabled the more vital Points 5140, 5100 and 4700 to be recaptured during 'Operation Vijay'.

Withdrawal

Slowly the insurgents, who realised they were losing the conflict, began to withdraw, but still the Pakistan government refused to acknowledge that their men were involved in the conflict. At the same time, Indian soldiers who managed to push back the intruders across the Line of Control were given orders to bury Pakistani and Mujahideen casualties with respect and with true Muslim rights.

Aftermath and Evidence

The conflict came to an end on 15 July, 1999, and the evidence gathered indicated that Pakistan was involved. Many bullets that were recovered showed the engraving 'POF' (Pakistan Ordinance Factory), but more important was the ration cards which were found on some of the deceased Pakistani soldiers from the Northern Light Infantry. Also found were the following:

• 12.7mm Anti Aircraft Machine Guns x4
• Heavy Utility Machine Guns (UMG) x46
• Chinese G3/AK Rifles x198
• Grenade/Rocket launchers x19
• 81/120mm Mortars x12
• 37mm Twin Barrel AD Gun x1
• American-made Stinger Missile Launcher x1
• 23mm Gun x1
• 14.5 KPVT x1
• Howitzer-less barrels x3
• Anti-personnel Mines x1,406
• Artillery/Mortar bombs x1,200
• Chinese Rockets x32
• Night Vision devices x6
• Communication sets x22
• Bulletproof jackets x17
• Gas masks x39
• Telephone cable wire (65km)
• Sleeping bags x33
• 3-4 man igloo tents x25

Other items that were found were bunker construction material, Pakistani military literature, marked maps and a large quantity of smaller armaments, grenades and explosives which weighed 35 tonnes.

After Effects

According to the then Indian defence minister George Fernandez, a total of 524 Indian soldiers, most of whom were junior officers, had been killed and 1,363 were wounded, compared to 696 Pakistani soldier casualties. Not one Indian soldier had crossed the Line of Control during the conflict. The Pakistani leader revealed in an interview that the Indian naval blockade had been effective as his country had only nine days'-worth of fuel left.

Exile and a New Leader

In October 1999 the internal conflict between Nawaz Sheriff and the army led to a bloodless coup in which Sheriff was overthrown and sent into exile to Saudi Arabia. This enabled General Pervez Musharraf to come to power.

The Line of Control Opens

While parts of India have also suffered from this unexpected natural disaster, we are prepared to extend any assistance with rescue and relief which you may deem appropriate.
– Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a message to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf

The 2005 Kashmir  earthquake enabled the crossing lines across the Line of Control to be opened in order for the aid to reach earthquake victims, and at the same time allow people to cross and meet with family members, some of whom had not seen each other since the invasion of the former Princely state by Pathan tribesmen.

Constant Monitoring

The investigation into the cause of the conflict revealed that there had been lack of communication and that there were loopholes which needed to be 'covered'. Today, the Kargil sector on the Line of Control in Indian-administered Kashmir is heavily populated by Indian troops who are diligently monitoring the situation. The political tension between the two countries has eased and their representatives are constantly involved in talks.

After nine years in power President Musharraf of Pakistan stepped down on 18 August, 2008, to avoid impeachment. Pakistan is now fighting for survival against the Taleban under the leadership of President Asif Zardari.