Daya Sagar

 

 

This is 21st Kargil Vijay Diwas, so far 21 soldiers have been decorated with PVC and out of that 4 PVC decorated soldiers were part of 1999 Indo- Pak Kargil War.

 

It was some where in first week of May 1999 that the ‘Pakistani’ intruders from across LOC were spotted in Ladakh region and on 9th May the Pakistani forces also resorted to heavy gun fire in Dras Sector (Kargil district of then J&K State) . In a way , though the Indian army launched a major offensive on June 6th , it was like taking to a regular war on Pakistan when around 9th June Indian forces recaptured two key locations in Batalic Sector and finally India had recovered the control of all the lands and posts as was announce by Indian army on 26th July 1999 with completion of operation Vijay, the day is celebrated as Kargil Vijay Divas every year in the honour of the Kargil War Heroes. Indian Army has also raised a Kargil War memorial in Dras- Kargil (Lamuchan) with the Tololing Heights, Tiger Hill and Point 4875 (Batra Top) in the background.

 

Governments of UT of J&K & UT of Ladakh , some political parties and some civic organisations may be celebrating 21st Kargil Vijay Diwas. But the celebrations that will be made by the public institutions in J&K and the ex State Subjects of J&K State / ex- Permanent Residents of J&K & UT of Ladakh / Domiciles of UT of J&K will not be formally having any one amongst the local organisers from any of the family members of even the Indian soldiers who have been decorated with PVC for fighting on the IB/LOC/LAC along the UTs of J&K and Ladkah ( erstwhile J&K State) who belonged to Indian states other than J&K i.e who were non State Subjects / non- Permanent Residents including the families of all the 4 soldiers who were decorated with Param Vir Chakra for their valour during 1999 Kargil war.

 

 

 

 

So far 21 Param Vir Chakras (14 Posthumous ) have been awarded. Of all these 16 PVC decorated soldiers fought war on border / LOC/LAC along J&K and out of that 15 decorated solders were non- State Subjects / Non Permanent Residents of J&K.

  

 

 

The “ Permanent Residents of J&K” for whom “they’ have made and have been making extreme sacrifices have neither cared in the past to get accommodated atleast the families of PVC decorated soldiers in J&K by putting pressures on the local governments / political leaderships as State Subjects of J&K / Permanent Resident of J&K { PDP-BJP Government in J&K too celebrated 3 Kargil Vijay Diwas -2105,2016,2017- but that too was with no difference since even that government did not give the right to own a “Home” in J&K to even the Martyr Families”} nor have in recent times the erstwhile permanent residents of UT of Ladakh as well as erstwhile permanent residents ( ‘Domiciles’ ) of UT of J&K so far worked for making the governments / administrations of these two UTs to make provisions for conferring rights for owning properties / securing admissions in professional colleges /rights on the local government jobs / rights of domicile on such decorated families even after 30th October 2019. Without such like meaning full actions that were required to be taken on first priority of atleast the people of ‘J&K’ but so far have not been there, do the people “here” have any right to ‘celebrate 21st Kargil Vijay Diwas today ? Surely no.

Hence no celebrations / Tributes would be reaching the great Soldiers of our Nation and the great Martyrs unless on this 26th July the UTs of J&K & Ladkah come out with very very special gestures in the shape of conferring atleast on the soldiers who have shown extreme valour / made extreme sacrifices the rights that a common State Subject of J&K/ Permanent Resident of J&K had and what do the “Domiciles2020” have on this 21st Kargil Vijay by modifications / relaxations of rules or by creating special administrative / constitutional provisions ( like another sub- Section to Section-3A of Domicile law like sub- Section 3A(3) : *Special provisions for award of domicile rights by government to person / the kin/ instant family who could be considered worth extra ordinary value / importance for J&K State in any field… ) .

 

Simply repeating vociferously the “bravo” notes , as done in the past , just to hit the media lines will have no worth.

 

Not only that most of the Indian states have established individual /stipends allowances/pension/ rewards / economic supports that at places even exceeded the central government's for recipients of the PVC ( though mostly belonging to their state ) where as J&K in that regard has lagged much behind since this state was expected to own all of them and extend much more voluminous and liberal support to the recipients and their relations but has not done any thing worth taking notice.

 

Why not take the lead this 21st Kargil Vijay Diwas and make atleast the families of 21 PVC decorated soldiers sense that the UTs of J&K and Ladakh are truthfully indebted to “them”

 

(The Writer is Patron of JKSC, Senior Journalist & Known Analyst of J&K Affairs)