‘You’ll get a bloodier nose next time’: India issues warning to Pakistan on Kashmir war anniversary

India’s army chief has warned Pakistan against repeating military “misadventures” along the border as the nation celebrates victory in the Kargil War two decades ago, when Indian soldiers stormed the mountaintops of Kashmir.

The Kargil War of 1999 was the last time the two nuclear-armed neighbors engaged in large-scale conventional warfare in disputed Kashmir. It ended with India repelling a clandestine invasion by Islamabad in the region.

The hostilities originated in early May, 1999, after troops and paramilitaries from Pakistan moved beyond the Line of Control (LoC) and attacked outposts in the mountainous Kargil sector of the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir. In response, New Delhi launched Operation Vijay (Victory).

Indian artillery in the Kargil sector of Kashmir in June 1999. © Tauseef Mustafa / AFP

Nine weeks of intense fighting followed, culminating in the Battle of Tiger Hill, where Indian grenadiers stormed the enemy’s positions at 16,700 feet (5,062m) above sea level, and Indian Mirage 2000 jets used laser-guided bombs for the first time. India declared victory on July 26 after recapturing all of its outposts.

On Friday, memorial services were held all across India, with state and military officials laying wreaths at war memorials and media running tributes to the fallen troops.

“I salute all the heroic sons of Mother India,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, adding that the victory in Kargil two decades ago “reminds us of the courage, bravery and dedication of our soldiers.”

Army chief General Bipin Rawat warned Islamabad against future operations against India. “It was a big misadventure undertaken by the Pakistan Army in 1999,” he stressed during a visit to the Kargil area.

Don’t do it [again]. Misadventures are normally not repeated. You’ll get a bloodier nose next time.

In February, the two bitter rivals almost went to war again after tensions along the LoC spiraled into cross-border shelling and open aerial combat.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!