On the 27th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, Army veterans gathered in Chandigarh on Sunday, 26 July to honour the 527 soldiers who laid down their lives during Operation Vijay in 1999, sharing personal accounts of sacrifice, injury, and enduring pride in uniform. The occasion marked India's decisive victory over Pakistani intruders who had occupied strategic heights in the Kargil sector of Ladakh.

Veterans Speak: From the Battlefield to the Ceremony

Former Army officer Jyoti Sharma recounted the physical toll of his service, having been shot in both legs during a counter-terror patrol in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir. 'During my Army service, I was shot in both legs during an operation in Kashmir, which led to 14–15 surgeries. Today, we feel proud to receive scooters from Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Punjab & Sind Bank on Kargil Vijay Diwas, and we sincerely thank them. We were posted in Kupwara and had gone on a patrol during an operation when terrorists opened fire on us. I was injured in the firing, but by God's grace, I survived and am now with my family. I feel proud that I had the opportunity to serve the country,' Sharma said.

Former Major V.V. Narayanan articulated the foundational ethos of the Indian Army: 'We in the Army believe that the safety, honour and welfare of the nation always come first, while the safety, honour and welfare of the troops come second.'

What Kargil Vijay Diwas Commemorates

Former Colonel Uday Kumar placed the day in its historical context. 'Today is Kargil Vijay Diwas. It marks the day we won the Kargil War. In 1999, Pakistani intruders occupied strategic heights in the Kargil sector, but they were eventually driven out by our armed forces. Many brave soldiers laid down their lives during the operation, and we commemorate this day in their memory and pay tribute to their supreme sacrifice,' he said.

The 1999 Kargil conflict, fought between May and July 1999, remains the only conventional war fought between two nuclear-armed neighbours. Battles unfolded at altitudes exceeding 5,000 metres across Kargil, Dras, Batalik, Mushkoh, and Kaksar in Ladakh — some of the harshest battlefield terrain on earth.

India's Military Restraint and Strategic Legacy

Despite freezing temperatures, near-vertical ridgelines, and heavily fortified enemy positions on commanding peaks, Indian forces successfully expelled the intruders without crossing the Line of Control (LoC) — earning wide international recognition for both military effectiveness and strategic restraint. The victory is widely regarded as a defining moment that reshaped India's defence preparedness, strategic doctrine, and national security framework in the decades that followed.

Recognition for Veterans

This year's observance in Punjab included a welfare gesture by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Punjab & Sind Bank, who distributed scooters to disabled veterans — a symbolic acknowledgement of the long-term physical costs borne by those who served. The gesture drew appreciation from recipients like Sharma, who described it as a moment of public validation for a sacrifice that is often private and lifelong.

As the nation enters its 27th year of marking this victory, the day continues to serve as both a memorial and a reminder of the human cost behind India's military achievements on the world's highest battlefield.