As India plans to celebrate Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26, GL Batra, father of late Captain Vikram Batra, on Sunday said that the Kargil War was one of the toughest wars in the world.
Speaking to ANI, GL Batra, the father of Captain Vikram Batra who laid down his life in 1999 while fighting Pakistan, appealed to the youth to serve the society and have the passion like the Param Vir Chakra awardee.
"The Central government has fulfilled all the commitments made during the (Kargil) war. The Kargil war was one of the toughest wars in the world. We should be aware of trouble-making neighbours and be ready to make sacrifices for the nation in the future," he said.
"I have taught the biographies of Param Vir Chakra awardee soldiers in the secondary school courses so that our younger generation also gets inspiration. Also, I request the Centre to assist the family members/kins of the martyrs who carry out social work activities on a regular basis," he said.
GL Batra also lauded the Centre's efforts to remove Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and said, "One must know that Pakistan is not the only country trying to spread extremism and terrorism. It is one of them. In this regard, the central government has taken a very good decision to remove Article 370."
He said that the way January 26 is important, in the same way, July 26 is also important because Indian forces had driven the enemy out of the border of our country and emerged victorious.
"One has to remain constantly vigilant as enemy nations always keep an eye on us. They will always try to bring us down, stop our progress. I appealed to the youth that we should be united, we should have the passion to serve society and the country as shown by Captain Vikram Batra. It is not necessary that patriotism is shown only by being martyred on the battlefield. Patriotism should be in our blood," said the father of Vikram Batra.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the countrymen to salute the brave hearts of Kargil on July 26, when the nation will mark Kargil Vijay Diwas.
The Indian armed forces had defeated Pakistan on July 26, 1999. Since then, the day is celebrated as 'Kargil Vijay Diwas' to rekindle the pride and valour of the soldiers who took part in Operation Vijay.
Captain Vikram Batra was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest gallantry award for Kargil War.
( With inputs from ANI )
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