Kargil war : India, Pakistan and Role of United State Of America

On 26 July 1999 , Kargil conflict came to an end after almost 3 month when Indian army successfully recapture Mountain Heights seized by Pakistani Intruders . In this Process they have to face lots of adverse condition like height , weather and hostile terrain.

So what was Kargil Conflict ?

 

 

The Kargil conflict was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LOC).

The cause of the war was the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers disguised as Kashmiri militants into positions on the Indian side of the LOC , which serves as the de facto border between the two states. During the initial stages of the war, Pakistan blamed the fighting entirely on independent Kashmiri insurgents, but documents left behind by casualties and later statements by Pakistan's Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff showed involvement of Pakistani paramilitary forces, led by General Ashraf Rashid . The Indian Army, later supported by the Indian Air Force, recaptured a majority of the positions on the Indian side of the LOC infiltrated by the Pakistani troops and militants. Facing international diplomatic opposition, the Pakistani forces withdrew from the remaining Indian positions along the LOC.

Role of Clinton ( President of USA)   

 

 

Bill Clinton , that time serving President of United state of America played a very important role in not allowing the conflict to escalate into a nuclear war. When Indian Army started to rout the Pakistani forces from the captured peaks and it became clear that the infiltrators were regular Pakistani rangers, Nawaz Shariff visited USA. The international opinion was strictly against Pakistan as it was the aggressor.Nawaz Shrariff went to US to ask for support, supposedly he wanted to make a stand against India at Kargill. Bruce Riedel, who was then an aide to President Bill Clinton, reported that US intelligence had imaged Pakistani movements of nuclear weapons to forward deployments for fear of the Kargil hostilities escalating into a wider conflict. President Clinton refused to intervene until Pakistan had removed all forces from the Indian side of the LOC . He refused to help Nawaz Shariff and 'forced' him to backoff and withdraw excessive troops stationed near the border.

 According to a very informative documentary on YouTube titled "On the brink and back"  Clinton reportedly said " I've prepared two speeches, in the first, i ask you very politely to take steps to end the war, in the second, i will say very directly all my concerns about you, Pakistan and your nuclear weapons. It's up to you to decide which speech i will give ".

G8 nations supported India and condemned the Pakistani violation of the LOC at the Cologne summit. The European Union also opposed Pakistan's violation of the LOC.China, a long-time ally of Pakistan, insisted on a pullout of forces to the pre-conflict positions along the LOC and settling border issues peacefully. Other organisations like the ASEAN Regional Forum too supported India's stand on the inviolability of the LOC.
Faced with growing international pressure, Sharif managed to pull back the remaining soldiers from Indian territory. The joint statement issued by Clinton and Sharif conveyed the need to respect the LOC and resume bilateral talks as the best forum to resolve all disputes.

Although some Pakistani forces remained in positions on the Indian side of the LOC. In addition, the United Jihad Council (an umbrella for Islamic extremist groups) rejected Pakistan's plan for a climb-down, instead deciding to fight on. The Indian army launched its final attacks in the last week of July in co-ordination with relentless attacks by the Indian Airforce, both by day and night finally recapture all the post. This is How it was ended,  a costly misadventure by Pakistan fought back and won by India where USA also play a significant role .