POINT 5353: A MAJOR DRAWBACK OF THE KARGIL WAR
- Aadya Gowda
- Aug 3, 2020
- 4 min read
Last Sunday we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Vijay Divas, the day India triumphed in the Kargil War against Pakistan. Amidst all the victories of India re- capturing all the points taken over by the Pakistani Army, it failed to re- capture one of the most important areas on the Line of Control (LOC) that is Point 5353. Last year, a lot of social media activists started questioning Gen. Ved Prakash Mallik (retd), the army chief during the war, about the army’s incapacity to capture the three heights on the Line of Control that is still under the possession of the Pakistani Army.
A brief of the war:
After the Indo- Pakistan war of 1971, the Shimla Agreement was signed by both the sides as a sign of peace and tranquility. According to this agreement both the countries agreed that in order to refrain from any kind of war- like situation, they shall not cross the Line of Control (LOC) that lies in Jammu and Kashmir. But on 3rd May, 1999, Pakistan intrusion was reported in Kargil and within a span of 10 days they infiltrated the regions of Dras, Kaksar and Mushkoh. This alerted the Indian Army which then went on to launch an air strike against the infiltrators. Eventually in the course of two months the Indian army was successful in recapturing Tiger Hill, Tololing, Dras and Batalik. The Indian Government even released documents indicating Pakistan’s involvement in the war. Later, on 26th July the Kargil conflicts officially came to an end. Another major thing to be noted here is that all the areas that were taken over by the Pakistani Army were surrounding the Line of Control (LOC) and they never openly crossed the LOC, hence keeping the Shimla agreement intact. Amidst all these events, the Indian Army left a small spot in the history and this spot is Point 5353, an important landmark that they tried but failed to capture.
What actually happened?
When the war was set to begin, the army received clear instructions form the Vajpayee Government that no matter what happens men and aircrafts have to carry out their tasks without crossing the LOC. This condition is what complexified the warfare and may be also the sole reason behind the failure to recapture Point 5353. From the village of Holiyal in the Mushkosh, where an empty primary school was used as a forward operating base for the battalion, Point 5353 was just east and behind Tiger Hill, connected through a tract called Sando Gully. The officer who was in charge of the operation also highlighted the fact that in order to block the view of Highway 1D from the enemy, Point 5353 has be taken back. When a troop were attacking Tiger Hill and Tololing , a few Pakistani soldiers fired upon them from Point 5353 and this was informed to the authorities at the right time. To substantiate this, even satellite images were provided which showed that the enemy had occupied the post.
Why is Point 5353 such an important post?
Point 5353 is the highest peak located in the Tiger Hill region and gives the clear view of National Highway 1D. The point is clearly on the India side of LOC but it remains under the occupation of the Pakistani army who have fortified it with reinforced bunkers and has also built a small path for transportation. The main reason why Point 5353 is valued so much by both the sides is because it gives a clear image of the highway that connects Kashmir and Kargil. The main reason behind Indian army’s retaliation to the Pakistani intrusion in 1999 was that interruption of traffic on the road would cut off supplies to Ladakh and Siachen Glacier. The artillery observers from the post can easily fire on the 25 km stretch without any intrusion. Also, the most imperious feature in the region has a clear view of Tiger Hill and surrounding areas. Letting the occupation of the post would be like inviting the enemy to openly spy on us and would be an advantage for them if there is any outbreak of war between the two countries.
What does the Government had to say?
The Vajpayee government blindly believed and emphasized on the fact that all the objectives of the Kargil war had been accomplished. The then defense minister Mr. George Fernandes repeatedly said that Point 5353 was on LoC and was not under occupation of both the countries. Another reasoning provided was that the point lies on the Pakistani side and in order to capture it, they have to move from north hence crossing the LoC, which is illegal. Then the Indian forces sought to make an exchange, wherein the enemy were in occupation of Point 5353 and the Indian forces were in occupation of another feature on LoC which is Point 5245. But this is just a cover up that the government sought to use in order to cover up their own mistakes. Point 5245 in no ways is equivalent to Point 5353. Prior to this, several attempts were made to drive away the Pakistani troops using artillery fire but is seemed impossible after the 2003 ceasefire and since then the government gave up its hope on that post.
What can be done?
The government should probably set up a new committee that would be totally unbiased in nature to look into the issue. The findings of the committee must be discussed in detail and a conclusion must be drawn as to whether or not Point 5353 must be taken back or not. If yes, then discussions can take place between both the countries during the next bilateral meeting. If Pakistan fails to reconcile then maybe India can ask the United Nations to intervene. With the on going Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan, there is always a fear of an outbreak of war and before that happens it would be really important to take over such an important post. Moreover, so many soldiers lost their lives fighting for the country and in order to honour their sacrifice in a true sense this is the least that could be done.
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