Kargil War Thread - VI

RayC · Post by **RayC** » 18 Jul 2009 07:01

I am not giving a critique on what has been written. It is just my general comment.

Post conflict, everyone tends to be retrospective and 'wise'.

Baljeet · Post by **Baljeet** » 18 Jul 2009 08:13

RayC wrote:I am not giving a critique on what has been written. It is just my general comment.

Post conflict, everyone tends to be retrospective and 'wise'.

RayC
My response was not toward you but Raghu. I do agree with your post conflict thing.

RayC · Post by **RayC** » 18 Jul 2009 08:41

Baljeet wrote:
RayC wrote:I am not giving a critique on what has been written. It is just my general comment.

Post conflict, everyone tends to be retrospective and 'wise'.
RayC
My response was not toward you but Raghu. I do agree with your post conflict thing.

I know.

I was commenting on the articles and crossing the LC.

Who stopped anyone from doing so at one's own level?

After all, there is no line marked on the ground as such.

Who stopped anyone from capturing say 5353 or Marpola and then say, "hey, sorry, we couldn't make out the LC? But we can't return it since it is Kashmir and the Simla Agreement says Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers".

And then the show would go on in the lines of Liddle Hart's concept of 'expanding torrents', under its own momentum.

As infamous statement goes - Aur ek dhaka!

Baljeet · Post by **Baljeet** » 18 Jul 2009 09:13

Completely agree Boss. Its not like we don't have the resources to do that, its our leadership whose spine has curved and shrunk.

RayC · Post by **RayC** » 18 Jul 2009 09:22

Our Army may claim that it follows Auftragstaktik where the mission is given and the subordinates execute independently with inherent flexibility, in actuality, we follow Befehlstaktik, ( detailed-order tactics), control by detailed order or command push.

However, at the same time, one has to admit that Lt Gen Kishen Pal gave all the independence of execution to Maj Gen Mohinder Puri and to that extent it was Auftragstaktik.

arun · Post by **arun** » 18 Jul 2009 09:49

Baljeet wrote:ARun
Here is the Gem from same article.

Ironically, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh took out time to participate in Bastille Day celebrations in Paris on July 14.
Stateman PM has time to go celebrate some other countries victory but has no time to celebrate his own country's victory. Well Mr. Statesman PM, I have been embarrassed many times in life, but never been humiliated like this. Do you care to explain what shall I tell teenage son of my cousin who lost his father in kargil war. Why this nation does not want to honor his sacrifice? Do you have any decorum, dignity, self respect? {Snipped}

Baljeet,

I am in agreement with you and disgusted with the behaviour of our ruling political elite.

Anyway, I did pick the “gem” in the article on our Prime Minister being away in France to celebrate Bastille Day.

That’s why I said in my post “ it is our unfortunate fate of being governed by a present ruling political elite that would much rather be feted by the French then celebrate the sacrifices of our soilders”.

The hubris shown by our ruling political elite is simply breathtaking

.

Baljeet · Post by **Baljeet** » 19 Jul 2009 00:58

RayC wrote:Our Army may claim that it follows Auftragstaktik where the mission is given and the subordinates execute independently with inherent flexibility, in actuality, we follow Befehlstaktik, ( detailed-order tactics), control by detailed order or command push.

However, at the same time, one has to admit that Lt Gen Kishen Pal gave all the independence of execution to Maj Gen Mohinder Puri and to that extent it was Auftragstaktik.

RayC
I met Gen Kishen Pal at engagement ceremony of my friend's niece in New Delhi in 1999. That man is so humble, non descript, unassuming, it was hard to believe he was a corps commander. The man is very soft spoken with none of the pomp that some other had. He came to engagement ceremony without any pomp, drove his own maruti. Even some troops who knew him were dumb founded to see their commander with such humility, at first they didn't believe their eyes it was their commander--needless to say once it was confirmed Gen Sahib was there, whole squad quickly fall-in for salute and put a security cordon around their commander quickly. I have never seen troops go from relxed position to super vigilant in 5 sec flat.
I got a good chuckle out of it.

What I could read between the lines, Gen was pretty mad about not letting his field commanders cross the LOC, I could see the pain on his face about IXth Jat troops who were tortured. He did clinch his fist about that incidence for a fleeting moment.

RayC · Post by **RayC** » 19 Jul 2009 08:28

He was my Instructor and then a colleague in JC and then my Corps Commander.

He has always been the same - totally casual and unassuming. But he can be firm!

I learnt the phrase - toeing the party line - from him. That is what he used to say when people parroted what they thought he wanted to hear!

He wanted people to think out of the box and beyond the pamphlets!

I have great regards for him!

putnanja · Post by **putnanja** » 21 Jul 2009 04:21

Kargil Ten years on

...
Things have improved since the last decade when troops went up the heights, braving enemy fire, in little more than regular combat fatigues. The Army has connected most base points with roads, special rations and clothing have been given to soldiers and a strict induction training protocol is followed.

“Post-Kargil a number of improvements have taken place, not only in terms of army deployment but also in roads and trails that have come up. Mobility has improved, including over snow. Our survival capacity has gone up many fold,” says Maj Gen Suresh Khajuria, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Kumbathang based 8 Mountain Division that is in charge of the region.

Even more important, troops says, is the presence of DTH television sets that have been set up at all forward posts. The Army has bought thousands of the television systems.

In terms of firepower and reconnaissance capabilities too, the Army has a lot of additional resources. The area now has anti-material rifles of South African orgin that can take out enemy bunkers. Artillery guns, which were the surprise heroes of the Kargil war, have been brought in large numbers. However, most of them are of the ’60s or ’70s vintage. While the Army says it has an adequate number of guns, the delay in its artillery modernisation plans has prevented the purchase of modern guns.
...
...
All changes withstanding, a few basic things on ground are still to change. The strategic Kargil-Drass road, which Pakistani intruders were trying to cut off in 1999 in order to choke supplies to Siachen, is still under threat of artillery fire.

Large sections of the highway are under direct observation of Pakistani soldiers. Here is where the ghosts of Kargil come out to haunt the Army. The dominating Point 5353 in Drass, which overlooks the Tiger Hill, is an Indian position that is still occupied by Pakistan. While the Pakistanis lay claim to the position, the point lies fully within Indian on Army maps but is occupied by crack Pakistan Army troops. So important is the point, which overlooks a large section of the road near Drass town, that Pakistan has built a permanent road right up to it for supplying troops.
...
The Pakistani positions along the highway are not so many as to bother the Indian Army—officers say they can be neutralised easily if war breaks out—but they are a grim reminder of war. The only way out to ensure continuous supplies to Siachen is to build an all-weather road through Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh. However, work on the Rohtang tunnel is behind schedule and not expected to completed before at least seven years.

Increased capabilities and comforts apart, the message at Kargil 10 years after the war is clear—Pakistan has managed to force India into committing a large force in an area that was earlier practically uninhabited. And, with Indian soldiers outnumbering their Pakistani counterparts 1:3 along the entire border, the strain of manning an impossible frontier is much greater for India.
...

Jagan · Post by **Jagan** » 21 Jul 2009 05:12

The picture gallery accompanying the above report is great as well
http://www.indianexpress.com/Picture-Gallery/552/

Jagan · Post by **Jagan** » 21 Jul 2009 05:13

X-posted from Multimedia

Samay wrote:Kargil,Kargil...

Full Video @ ndtv.com

http://www.ndtv.com/news/videos/video_player.php?id=1136700
Great video from Vishnu Som
Full credits

sum · Post by **sum** » 21 Jul 2009 09:13

The dominating Point 5353 in Drass, which overlooks the Tiger Hill, is an Indian position that is still occupied by Pakistan. While the Pakistanis lay claim to the position, the point lies fully within Indian on Army maps but is occupied by crack Pakistan Army troops.

And why exactly is this being allowed to happen?

parshuram · Post by **parshuram** » 21 Jul 2009 09:49

I don't beleive this if such a thing is indeed there then it is victory for pakistani armed forces and why the hell are the in nutshell then ?. They would be screaming there kungs out to tell that whatever india claims they had a whole hill to be captive of ....

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 21 Jul 2009 23:53

It seems the official classified history of Kargil will be on Headlines Today and then on the Live Fist blog of Mr Aroor per his message.

A Sharma · Post by **A Sharma** » 22 Jul 2009 04:22

A bloodstained summer

Prem Kumar · Post by **Prem Kumar** » 22 Jul 2009 05:22

Thanks A Sharma. Very nice recap. If you go to the cover story section, there are many more articles devoted to Kargil.

http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/ ... &BV_ID=@@@

Prem Kumar · Post by **Prem Kumar** » 22 Jul 2009 05:59

Excerpt from one of the articles in this:

Steely resolve

http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/ ... Id=5731070

Vajpayee refused to heed the repeated calls from President Bill Clinton for a trilateral summit to discuss issues. He told Clinton that any ceasefire without the pullout of Pakistani troops was not acceptable. In the same way, Jaswant and Mishra politely refused the negotiation offers of several European nations.

I wish MMS had displayed similar courage by cutting off all diplomatic links with the Pukes post 26/11, rather than the recent hara-kiri at Sharm-el- Sheikh. Not that I think ABV was a lion-heart (the "voluntary crematorium" after 1998 N-tests were weak-kneed) but he had way more b@lls than MMS.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 22 Jul 2009 07:32

Prem Kumar. Not here. We have a thread in strat forum Please post there.

Thanks, ramana

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 22 Jul 2009 23:32

Please invite the general to BRF....

LETTER TO EDITOR
By
Maj Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, SM
IRRESPONSIBLE STATEMENT ……….KARGIL WAR
Dated: 18 Jul 2009
Dear Editor in Chief,

1. Rashid Ali, a congress MP, has made a statement on 15 Jul 2009 out side Parliament that Kargil War was the BJP War and therefore, BJP can celebrate it, Congress is not going to participate in it. It is a shocking statement which reveals a total bankruptcy of a feeling of National pride and what India stands for. 527 soldiers who sacrificed their lives besides 1000 who were seriously injured, did not do so for a particular political party. They did it for the Nation. Such an irresponsible statement from an elected representative of the people tantamounts to denigrating the Defence Forces and the sprit of sacrifice of a soldier for his Nation. Not only the Armed Forces but the Nation as a whole stands humiliated.

2. The erring MP owes an apology to the Nation for making such a damaging statement which carries seeds of nation’s doom. UPA Govt should automatically take it upon itself to reprimand its MP and to assure the nation that there is no such antinational feeling taking roots in its constituents.

3. It is pertinent to mention that in the recent past there have been attempts willfully or otherwise to show the Defence Forces in poor light. It is difficult to fathom the reasons for this unless this is the handiwork of elements inimical to the interest of the country. We appeal to all political parties to refrain from any action or statement which is likely to affect the morale of the Defence Forces and harm National Interest.

(The author is a Former Senior Fellow and Security Analyst of Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA), has been examiner PhD thesis in Defence & Security Studies, Ex Commandant Services Selection Centre & President SSB, besides being Instructor at four premier institutions of the Army. Presently he is a Vice Chairman Indian Ex Servicemen Movement (IESM), Tele No -09312404269, 0124-2461416) .

With Kind Regards,
Jai Hind
Yours Sincerely,
Maj Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, SM
Vice Chairman Indian ESM Movement
Mobile: 9312404269, 0124-4110570
Email : satbirsm@yahoo. com

RayC · Post by **RayC** » 23 Jul 2009 07:10

Has there been an apology?

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 23 Jul 2009 07:24

Ramana garu not that you may not have seen but the author's email is at the bottom. If someone who carries weight like Rayc sir or you invites he might participate here. It would be great to have an ex IDSA analyst here.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 23 Jul 2009 07:47

We have ex Directors who visit us. Will do so also.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 23 Jul 2009 20:22

RayC wrote:Has there been an apology?

Were you really expecting one saar?

The calculated insult has killed two birds with one stone, if you follow my drift.

sleepers like to denigrate symbols.

RayC · Post by **RayC** » 23 Jul 2009 20:39

chetak wrote:
RayC wrote:Has there been an apology?
Were you really expecting one saar?

The calculated insult has killed two birds with one stone, if you follow my drift.

sleepers like to denigrate symbols.

Yes, when they can do it for Bahuguna, are we more inconsequential than Mayawati?

If she is Dalit ke beti, I am a Dalit ke commander. I was in a Dalit unit. I demand justice too! Been a Dalit all through when I was commissioned. 37 years?

Jagan · Post by **Jagan** » 24 Jul 2009 01:41

http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20090723/81 ... html[quote]

As Mi-17s roared in Kargil, pilots celebrated with chocolates
Thu, Jul 23 01:12 PM

New Delhi, July 23 (IANS) Air Commodore A.K. Sinha remembers vividly the first shots he fired from his Mi-17 helicopter at the Pakistanis seated on Tiger Hill and Tololing peaks in the icy heights of Kargil in 1999 -- and celebrating it with crunchy chocolates high in the air.

The stinging attack by (then Wing Commander) Sinha marked a dramatic new twist to the Kargil conflict that almost triggered the fourth full-scale India-Pakistan war since independence in 1947.

'We were waiting for the go ahead. The situation was tense and the army was looking for our support. On May 26 (1999) we led the first helicopter attack on Tololing and Tiger Hill,' Sinha told IANS, talking about the hills that became household names in India. 'I led the main strike force and got to fire the opening shots.'

The helicopters, stretching the flying limits of the machine to extreme, fired salvos that overwhelmed the Pakistanis. What came in handy were the 2,000 flying hours Sinha had under his belt from Siachen Glacier, the world's highest battleground.

'Nowhere in the world has a conflict been fought in such terrain. In Siachen we have been maintaining posts but in Kargil it was direct engagement with an enemy armed with Stinger missiles,' Sinha recalled.

'Our helicopters sneaked up through the narrow valleys and popped up to bombard the peaks. The first operation was a success. We actually celebrated the moment with chocolates we carried on board,' Sinha said with a glint in his eyes.

The face-off in the snowy mountains of Kargil took place in the summer of 1999 after Pakistani insurgents as well as camouflaged troops sneaked into Jammu and Kashmir and occupied key hills along the international border.

Some 530 Indian soldiers were killed in two months of fighting before the Pakistanis were pushed back to their territory. The Pakistani toll remains unclear -- because Islamabad did not accept official involvement in what turned out to be a costly misadventure.

Sinha said that a day after the helicopter assault, the Indian Army intercepted calls from the intruders on Tololing to their handlers saying 'Hum capture hone wale hain'. (We are about to be captured).

Showing the video of two Stinger missiles closely flying past his helicopter, Sinha described the lethality of the Mi-17: 'It had a terrific record during the Russian attack on Afghanistan. It was known as 'terror'. Kargil was one place where it was used in an offensive role. When it (MI-17) fires, there is no question of someone keeping his head up. It is like raining bombs!'

However, on the third day, Sinha lost one of his helicopters and crew after it was hit by a missile. This was the second time a MI-17 helicopter was shot down. The first time was in Siachen.

'I was leading the attack. At least six Stingers were fired. The missile hit the number three helicopter and it crashed. When we spotted the wreckage, there was nothing left.

'That did not lower our morale. My boys were like - 'Let's take these six helicopters to Tololing and finish them up',' said Sinha.

Much after the Pakistanis retreated lock, stock and barrel, providing India its finest military victory after the 1971 Bangladesh war, Sinha won the Vir Chakra, the third highest gallantry award, for the Kargil attack.

Ritu Sharma [/quote]

Bhaskar · Post by **Bhaskar** » 24 Jul 2009 09:32

Our Politicians are just pathetic .... http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage ... dia+forgot

Congress government ko chullu bhar paani mein doob ke mar jaana chahiye.

I don't even know how Pratibha Patil became the President. APJ Abdul Kalam was much better than her.
Reading this, I lost all the respect I had for our President.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 24 Jul 2009 09:43

And this lady expect Salute as C-I-C of IA .

How i wish these current crop of politicians pass away and give way to new generation. They are not shame on Indian's face but symbol of leporasy of their mind, soul and body.

Tanaji · Post by **Tanaji** » 24 Jul 2009 15:06

http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/jul/ ... harraf.htm

The man is shameless.

Claiming the Kargil Operation ended with Pakistani forces in a 'very favourable' position, he said: 'If you are talking about India-Pakistan, Indians had moved all their forces against Kargil and there was (as a result) weakness elsewhere. So we knew what the Indian forces are capable (of) and what we are capable (of)... the situation was very favourable in Kargil, in Kashmir and on the entire border. We were capable of responding to any Indian action.'

Also you have the usual suspects:

Yes, indeed, it was a big success because it had (an) impact even on the attitudes of the Indian side. How did we start discussing the Kashmir dispute? How was it that the Indians agreed that we will discuss Kashmir and there must be a negotiated settlement? Before this there was no such thing at all,' Musharraf said in an interview to Karan Thapar in his Devil's Advocate programme on CNN-IBN.

pankaj · Post by **pankaj** » 24 Jul 2009 16:18

Cold WAR-Even after 10 years the Kargil conflict is far from over for thousands of troops stationed at the mountain posts in the area, writes Ajay Banerjee

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/200907 ... /main1.htm

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 24 Jul 2009 16:25

Tanaji wrote:The man is shameless.

You are being kind to him by calling him shameless. History has a special place reserved for him (alongside Chengez Khan, Hitler, Yahya Khan....).

Khalsa · Post by **Khalsa** » 24 Jul 2009 16:59

anupmisra wrote:
Tanaji wrote:The man is shameless.
You are being kind to him by calling him shameless. History has a special place reserved for him (alongside Chengez Khan, Hitler, Yahya Khan....).

I can't agree with both of you more that he planned and did all that, but he is right. It did grab our attention. Our Army Chief almost led the operations himself. Divisions were poured into the valley .. some almost all the way from Assam. However it wasn't because we were weak or not capable.

Mountain warfare always favours the defender and the man on the high ground. Guess what .. the Pakistanis had both the advantages. Now Malik did one really smart thing over everything else he did as COAS and that was he built an overwhelming majority which almost surpassed the strength officially required when striking entrenched enemy positions in a high altitude mountain environment. So yes... we were weaker in for example Punjab or Raj ... as compared to if there was no regional surprise in Kashmir like the one in our face in 1999.

Our Army is massive but not infinite. So Musharraf was correct in a manner of speaking. Does not hide the fact that our Navy had squeezed him and his supply lines that it in a few months Pak would be forced to declare war on us on the IB.

satya · Post by **satya** » 24 Jul 2009 20:07

Errr......... wasn't there a General in Europe who formed & validated the concept of overwhelming force at enemy's most vulnerable point & won quite a few battles based on this concept . But then Mushy ain't no General not even a soldier to ask him to read what Great General from Europe wrote about what General Malik did & why it would have led to disaster for TSP . Let bygones be bygones. Mushy a nobody , he has been cut lose by both GOTUS & TSPA .

amdavadi · Post by **amdavadi** » 24 Jul 2009 20:19

lamp post in pindi waiting to do its deed, day isn't far away when that scumbag will get what sadam got.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 24 Jul 2009 21:51

My old article for BRM on

KRC : A commentary

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 25 Jul 2009 10:13

Mother immortalizes a forgotten Kargil hero
What a woman ! Brings tears of pride to one's eyes.

A little over a decade ago, she shot off a letter to the then Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf demanding that he apologise to her grand daughter after her son, whom she still refers to as 2 RR (Rajputana Rifles), had sacrificed his life for the country. That sums up her spirit. She is not the one to cry. The brave lady and her family members cut a cake every June 21 without fail to celebrate their son’s birthday but ignore June 29, his death anniversary, and continue with their normal work that day.

‘‘You are a good son, you lost your life but did not let your country down,’’ is what she often tells her son when she talks to him in the backyard of her house in Hastinapuram colony every day. Inside house No 87, where the Acharyas live, one cannot miss the presence of the valiant Major Padmapani Acharya.

Asked if they are hurt by the UPA government’s decision not to celebrate Vijay Diwas, the Kargil anniversary, pat came Vimalacharya’s reply like an arrow: ‘‘We are apolitcal people. Sacrifice has been taught to us right from our childhood. Had my son and many others like him not died, Pakistanis would have captured half of India.’’ Her younger son, Padmasambhav Acharya, is also a soldier. He is with 17 Rajputana Rifles in Pune.

Aparajitha, who was in her mother’s womb when the tragedy struck, is in awe of her father.

‘‘I want to join the Indian Army and serve the country like my father,’’ is all that the Class V student says.

arun · Post by **arun** » 25 Jul 2009 11:18

Excerpts from CNN-IBN panel discussion titled “Has India forgotten Kargil heroes?”.

Panel consists of Congress party spokeswoman Jayanti Natarajan, BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy and former Chief of Army Staff, Gen.(Retd) Shankar Roy Choudhary :

Why is it that the UPA government in its last five years of being in power never commemorated the heroes of the Kargil war? It is only now after the Opposition has stepped up pressure that the UPA government has decided to commemorate the 10 years of Kargil victory.

Jayanti Natarajan: I do not know what exactly is the question. The issue really is that Kargil is a very poignant memory, very poignant moment for so many of us fellow Indians and to the members of the families who lost their beloved in the Kargil war. So, to commemorate the 10 years since is an act that needs to be appreciated. Not having done this over the last five years, is something that is merely trying to politicise the incident. It's not just the government, it's also the people. Of course, it is the primary responsibility of the government but any citizen can do it, any party could do it.

CNN-IBN: Let me put that to Rajiv Pratap Rudy. Effectively, what Jayanti Natarajan has said and what the Congress has perhaps maintained for the last five years is that there was nothing to celebrate about Kargil.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy: Yes, exactly. I was afraid that Jayanthi would come out with the facts and say that it was not the nation's victory and only a political victory of the BJP. I am amazed and shocked when senior spokesperson of the Congress party minister says something like that. The President too declines to go when a big function is being held in Darar, where the family members of the slain martyrs and generals are going...we do not have a single person representative of the government, going from Delhi. The Defence Minister decides to not go, not a single minister from the council of 80 ministers is going to Kargil. This is exactly my point. We never said that this was the BJP or the NDA's victory. We said it is the nation's victory. To demean this victory and to say that the sacrifice made by the soldiers and warriors was a waste and the cause was the BJP.

CNN-IBN: Many would say that the UPA government is delayed but has agreed to commemorate the Kargil war after 10 years. Does that make soldiers like you happy, sad, indifferent?

S Roy Choudhary: I think it is a political debate that should be buried along with the political parties. It is irelevant. The soldiers do not think about what the politicians think about their acts. They have been serving their country bravely right since 1947. These nauseating, disgusting, shrill, vituperative political debates have no meaning for the Indian Defence Services. Rather, I think we should get beyond just remembering Kargil. We should start reviewing Kargil so that it does not happen again. What has happened in Mumbai on 26 November was in its own way an urban Kargil. Now that is what we should be looking into: Why did Kargil happen again despite all the studies? Despite all the reports made on Kargil, why did we have the same intelligence failure, and a similar type of major incident in Mumbai? Kargil and Mumbai are interlinked. Mumbai is an urban Kargil. So, instead of this shrill debate, for the government to sit down why this happened again and to ensure that it is not repeated is the best tribute to Kargil.

From here:

CNN-IBN

RayC · Post by **RayC** » 25 Jul 2009 11:40

Natarajan and Manish Tiwari has always appeared to me as brain deficit, Singhvi with his huge teeth and near bald pate as a golf ball gone into a slice or a horse at Ascot. Kapil Sibal remind me of Alice in Wonderland - the grinning CheshireCat spewing nonsense and so they are irrelevant.

What is relevant is that IDIOT and even I doubt his loyalty (and I have NO hesitation in saying so) Rashid Alvi!

The audacity to term the valiant action and sacrifices at Kargil as a BJP battle!

The IA does not care about politics and its misuse by third rate turn coat politicians who to stay afloat forget their nationality and the sacrifices that bind this nation!. The IA is only concerned that the Nation stays afloat in spite of third rate, selfish, vote bank aligned politicians!

In Pakistan the Army keep the Nation as one by coups. In India, the Army accepts all the humiliation heaped on it by these fool politicians, trying to score political brownie points with total disloyalty to the Nation and maybe they are sincere in their disloyalty, but the Armed Forces ensure that democratic ideals are not veered off from by them!

It is extraordinary that the Congress Party or any other party has not pulled this donkey's rear to task! If there can be such a furor over Bhauguna, surely such a disloyal statement from a MP requires addressing and admonishment!

God Bless India!

Hari · Post by **Hari** » 25 Jul 2009 15:09

I received a mail last week, about a soldier, who lost his two hands and a leg in Kargil war, finding it very difficult to live with a very little amount as pension.

THis is how we honour our heroes.

sum · Post by **sum** » 25 Jul 2009 15:53

I received a mail last week, about a soldier, who lost his two hands and a leg in Kargil war, finding it very difficult to live with a very little amount as pension.

Cover story of this edition of THE WEEK..IIRC, the soldier is Ramachandra Allur from MLI.

Jagan · Post by **Jagan** » 25 Jul 2009 22:05

SSridhar wrote:Mother immortalizes a forgotten Kargil hero
What a woman ! Brings tears of pride to one's eyes.

Aparajitha, who was in her mother’s womb when the tragedy struck, is in awe of her father.

‘‘I want to join the Indian Army and serve the country like my father,’’ is all that the Class V student says.

Seeing the photo of Major Acharya's daughter in the above article reminded me of this delightful photo from Outlook less than an year after she was born.