The Kargil War was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan in late 1999 in Indian-controlled Kashmir. While Pakistan attempted to blame the fighting on independent Kashmiri insurgents, it was not believed and was forced to withdraw. It led to heightened tensions between the two nations and increased defense spending on the part of India. The Republic of India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of more than one billion, and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. ... The Islamic Republic of Pakistan (, or Islami Jamhooriya-e-Pakistan, in Urdu), or Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and is part of the Greater Middle East. ... Map of Kashmir showing the Line of Control and disputed areas Market boats on Mar Canal, Srinigar by E. Molyneux, c. ...

Location

Before 1947, Kargil was a part of Gilgit-Baltistan. Now it is a town in Indian controlled Kashmir. The town lies on the line of control facing the Northern Areas of Pakistan, and is the only district in the Ladakh subdivision that has a Muslim majority. Kargil is nestled in the Himalayas, giving it a cool, temperate climate. Summers are cool with frigid nights while winters are long and cold with temperatures often dropping to -40°C. A national highway connecting Srinagar to Leh cuts through Kargil. Kargil was a part of Gilgit-Baltistan before 1947, but now is a town in the Indian-controlled Kashmir. ... Gilgit-Baltistan or the Northern Areas is the northernmost region of Pakistan. ... Map of Kashmir showing the Line of Control and disputed areas Market boats on Mar Canal, Srinigar by E. Molyneux, c. ... Gilgit-Baltistan or the Northern Areas is the northernmost region of Pakistan. ... Tikse monastery, Ladakh Hemis Monastery in the 1870s Ladakh is the largest district of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, covering more than half the area of the state (of which it is the eastern part). ... Islam ( Arabic al-islām الإسلام,  listen?) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith and the worlds second-largest religion. ... Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... Summer is one of the four temperate seasons. ... In many parts of the world, winter is associated with snow. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... View of Leh from Namgyal hill Leh is the capital of the former Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh, which is now a district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. ...

Militant incursions

In late May 1999, Muslim guerrillas covertly and overtly backed by Pakistan and regular Pakistani troops from the elite Special Services Group as well as the mountain warfare specialists the Northern Light Infantry set up base on the vantage heights of the Indian controlled region. This led to the mobilisation of Indian troops in Operation Vijay to forcibly evict them. The Indian Air Force used laser-guided bombs to destroy the well entrenched positions of the militants. The Indian army fought and won victories against considerable odds and retook most of the heights. May is the fifth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Islam ( Arabic al-islām الإسلام,  listen?) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith and the worlds second-largest religion. ... In the 1999 Kargil Conflict between India and Pakistan, Operation Vijay was the name of the Indian operation to push back the infiltrators from the Kargil Sector. ... The Indian Air Force was established on October 8, 1932. ...

Pakistan received widespread world condemnation for its failure to patrol its borders and prevent insurgents from crossing over onto its soil . Few nations believed the Pakistani attempt at plausible deniability by linking the incursion to insurgents. As veteran analysts noted, the battle was being fought at heights where only seasoned troops could survive, poorly equipped, rag tag terrorists would neither have the ability nor the wherewithal to seize land and defend it. As the Indian attack picked up momentum and the Indian Air Force expanded its air strikes, the Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif flew to meet US president Bill Clinton on July 4, to earn support from one of its oldest allies. However Clinton rebuked Shariff, asking him to use his contacts to reign in the militants and withdraw Pakistani soldiers from Indian territory. Faced with growing international pressure, Shariff managed to pull back the remaining soldiers and insurgents from Indian territory. 527 Indian army soldiers were killed. Nawaz Sharif later noted that 2500 Pakistani soldiers had been killed in the conflict, more than in any of the prior Indo-Pakistani Wars. Nawaz Sharif (born December 25, 1949) was twice elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan, serving two non-consecutive terms. ... July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. ... Since both nations achieved independence in August 1947, there have been three major wars between India and Pakistan: Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 In addition, the 1999 Kargil Conflict is regarded by some as a fourth war between the two...

Fallout

India

The aftermath of the war saw the rise of the Indian stock market by over 1500 points. The next Indian national budget included massive increases in military spending. Indians united nationwide and army enlistment swelled. Celebrities pitched in by visiting injured service personnel. From the end of the war until February 2000, the Indian economy was bullish. After the war, the Indian military severed all ties with Pakistan, and increased it defence preparedness. Since the Kargil conflict, Indian defence preparedness has increased manifold as the government began spending more on state of the art equipment. The Bombay Stock Exchange is located in Dalal Street, Mumbai. ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Pakistan

Faced with the possibility of international isolation, the Pakistani economy tumbled and Pakistan was shunned as a global hotbed for terrorism. In October 1999, General Pervez Musharraf staged a bloodless coup d'etat ousting PM Nawaz Shariff. According to Benazir Bhutto, a former prime minister of Pakistan, Kargil war was Pakistan's greatest blunder. For nearly three months, the Kargil conflict threatened Southern Asia with the prospect of the first nuclear deployment against humans since Hiroshima in World War II, and the first mutual nuclear exchange in history. More than 3000 Pakistani soldiers, belonging to the Northern Light Infantry or NLI, were killed and more than 300 bodies were buried on the terrains of Kargil, when the Pakistani Army refused to accept them. Terrorism refers to the use of violence for the purpose of achieving a political, religious, or ideological goal. ... October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... General Pervez Musharraf (born August 11, 1943, Delhi, India) became de facto ruler (using the title Chief Executive and assuming extensive power) of [[the office of President of Pakistan (becoming Head of State) on June 20, 2001. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... Benazir Bhutto; a formal portrait from when she was Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto (born June 21, 1953) became the first woman to lead a Muslim country in modern times when she was elected Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988, only to be deposed in a coup 20 months later. ... This is a region of the continent of Asia that can have the following interpretations: The Indian Subcontinent and nearby islands in the Indian Ocean; see South Asia India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka All of Asia that is considered to be Southwest, South and Southeast Asia. ... Main keep of Hiroshima Castle The city of Hiroshima (広島市; -shi) is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chugoku region of western Japan. ... The Northern Light Infantry (NLI) is the main force protecting the strategically important Northern Areas of Pakistan and the majority of this Regement contains the native Gilgitis, Baltis, Brushos, Wakhis and Khuwars etc. ... The Northern Light Infantry (NLI) is the main force protecting the strategically important Northern Areas of Pakistan and the majority of this Regement contains the native Gilgitis, Baltis, Brushos, Wakhis and Khuwars etc. ... Pakistans 610,000-member armed forces, the worlds eighth largest in 2000, are well trained and disciplined. ...

See Also

• Indo-Pakistani Wars

Since both nations achieved independence in August 1947, there have been three major wars between India and Pakistan: Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 In addition, the 1999 Kargil Conflict is regarded by some as a fourth war between the two...

External links

• Kargil Conflict (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/kargil-99.htm) (GlobalSecurity)
• Limited Conflict Under the Nuclear Umbrella (http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1450/) (RAND Corp.)
• War in Kargil (http://www.ccc.nps.navy.mil/research/kargil/war_in_kargil.pdf) (Center for Contemporary Conflict) PDF download
• Essay on the outcomes of the Kargil War (http://www.jammu-kashmir.com/archives/archives1999/99august05.html)