Kargil Vijay Diwas: PM Modi’s tribute to Operation Vijay soldiers

On the 27th anniversary of Operation Vijay, PM Modi honored the bravery and sacrifice of soldiers who reclaimed Indian posts during the Kargil War

PGurus Newsdesk

July 26, 2026

Operation Vijay saw Indian forces reclaim posts along the Line of Control in 1999

Twenty-seven years later, the words of Kargil still echo

Every July 26, India pauses to remember a war fought at altitudes where even breathing was a battle. This year was no different — Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked Kargil Vijay Diwas with a tribute to the soldiers whose courage, he said, secured more than just territory; it secured the nation’s memory.

In a post on X,PM Modi wrote that the country owes its gratitude to the soldiers for their extraordinary courage and dedication in defending India, adding that their bravery under some of the harshest conditions imaginable would remain a permanent source of national pride. He went further, suggesting that the spirit shown by the 1999 war’s heroes wouldn’t fade with time — it would keep inspiring the generations that follow.

The date carries weight for a reason rooted firmly in history. Kargil Vijay Diwas commemorates the moment India reclaimed its posts along the Line of Control after Pakistani intruders infiltrated Indian territory in the icy heights of Kargil back in May 1999. Their objective was calculated and dangerous: cut off National Highway 1A, the lifeline connecting Srinagar to Leh, effectively isolating the Ladakh region.

What followed was Operation Vijay — over two months of combat fought largely above 16,000 feet, in terrain so unforgiving that altitude alone could kill. Indian forces pushed forward peak by peak, ridge by ridge, until every infiltrator was cleared and every post reclaimed.

PM Modi’s tribute arrived alongside a wave of similar remembrances across the country on Sunday — from war veterans recalling pivotal battles like Tololing, to political leaders honoring the fallen. It’s a reminder that Kargil isn’t just a chapter closed in 1999; it’s a date the nation still returns to, year after year, to measure what was sacrificed and what was won.