In the summer of 1999 India found that Pakistani soldiers, disguised as militants, had crossed the Line of Control and occupied heights in the Kargil district (then in Jammu and Kashmir, now Ladakh). India's Operation Vijay, with air strikes under Operation Safed Sagar and a naval posture under Operation Talwar, recaptured peaks such as Tololing and Tiger Hill in two months of fighting, a year after both countries had tested nuclear weapons.
Key facts
- Fought over about two months in the summer of 1999 after infiltration across the LoC; India's Operation Vijay involved about 30,000 troops.
- Air Force operation Safed Sagar; Navy's Operation Talwar; key battles at Tololing, Tiger Hill, Point 5140 and Point 4875.
- Pakistan withdrew after the Washington Accord of 4 July 1999; India reported 527 killed, Pakistan 453.
- A Kargil Review Committee was set up after the war; both countries had tested nuclear weapons in 1998.
Why exams ask about it
The date of Vijay Diwas, the operation names, the peaks and the Param Vir Chakra winners are the usual questions.