MP-KARGIL-PURI

The 1999 Kargil intrusion was the

fallout of the failure of the military intelligence as well as

other intelligence agencies, Lieutenant General (retd)

Mohinder Puri said Sunday while speaking at the Bhopal Litfest

here.

Recalling the intrusion, Lt. General Puri said

Pakistan's aim was to internationalise the Kashmir issue and

change the alignment of the Line of Control in the Kargil

sector by opening the conflict against India.

He had headed the 8 Mountain Division during

"Operation Vijay".

"The Kargil War happened due to the failure of

intelligence agencies, including military intelligence," the

decorated officer said during an interaction on the second day

of the Bhopal literature and art festival at Bharat Bhavan

here.

The 8 Mountain Battalion headed by him was tasked to

evict the enemy from the Drass-Mushkoh Sector during

"Operation Vijay".

"It was in the first week of May (1999) when 3

Infantry Division received information of an intrusion in the

Batalik sector. Later on, it was detected that the intrusion

had taken place over a very wide front," the Lt. General said.

The top commander said Pakistan's aim was to

internationalise the Kashmir issue and to change the alignment

of the LoC in the Kargil sector.

"Pakistan also wanted to interdict a road from

Srinagar to Leh thus isolating Siachen. It also wanted to

launch a fresh launch pad for militants from the captured area

to intrude into Himachal Pradesh," the Lt. General said.

The Lt. General recalled that he was tasked with

restoring the sanctity of the LOC and clear the national

highway 1D in the Dras- Mushkoh Sector.

Lt. General Puri further said the main credit of the

Kargil victory goes to the young officers who fought bravely.

"This is the hallmark of the Indian army," he added.

When asked about the regimental culture of the Indian

Army, the Lt General said a regiment is a small family of

around 900 soldiers, and a soldier's first commitment is

towards the unit and then for the country.

"Being in uniform for 40 years, I must say that one

should not tinker with the structure of regimentation. It is

tried and tested structure for years," he said.