General Asim Munir Acknowledges Pakistani Army’s Role in Kargil War

In a significant public acknowledgment, General Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of Pakistan, has recognized the involvement of the Pakistani Army in the 1999 Kargil War against India. This statement was made during a Defense and Martyrs Day event held in Rawalpindi on September 7, 2024.

General Munir highlighted the sacrifices made by the Army and the nation’s commitment to defending its sovereignty. He referred to the Kargil conflict as one of several noteworthy military engagements with India, which also includes conflicts in 1948, 1965, and 1971, as well as the Siachen conflict.

Previously, the Pakistani government had distanced itself from the Kargil War, claiming that only private “freedom fighters” were involved. However, the scale of the fighting later revealed a direct military engagement between Pakistani and Indian forces.

During his speech, General Munir described the Pakistani people as brave and fully aware of the value of freedom, stating, “Be it 1948, 1965, 1971, or the Kargil war of 1999, thousands of soldiers sacrificed their lives for the country and Islam.”

This admission marks a departure from Pakistan’s long-standing narrative surrounding the Kargil conflict, which had been carefully avoided in official discourse for over two decades.

The Kargil War began after an order from then-General Pervez Musharraf for the secret infiltration of forces into the Kargil district in Ladakh in March 1999. A full-scale conflict erupted when India discovered the infiltration in May of that year.

Despite the initial advantages held by Pakistani forces in the strategically important heights, the Indian military, through Operation Vijay, regained control by July 26, 1999. The conflict resulted in significant casualties on both sides, with India losing over 500 soldiers.