Kargil War Impact on Pakistan's Defense, Diplomacy, and Global Perception

The Kargil conflict of 1999 was usually described as one of the significant incidents in the relationship between two countries that are neighbours but not friendly - Pakistan and India. For Pakistan, it was a defensive plan which eventually led to the possibility of a permanent war. The conflict began in the Line of Control (LOC) in Kashmir. Several agreements regarding borders were signed by both nations, including the Cease Fire Line in 1948 and the Simla Agreement and Line of Control (LOC) in 1972. The agreements could not achieve the desired outcomes because India consistently violated each agreement and deemed them useless. India violated the terms of LOC. She displayed the aggression of Siachen, Nellum Valley and finally, Kargil. There were a variety of factors that brought Pakistan along with India to declare war in Kargil. Pakistan's military won the Kargil war by force, but it could not diplomatically and politically win it. Indian diplomats benefited from the situation and tried to seek assistance from America and were successful. The consequences of this war caused harm to Pakistan both internationally as well as domestically. It showed it resulted from a significant communication gap between the army and government officials.

The Kargil conflict has its roots in the past, as two agreements were made between India and Pakistan. The first exchange of military forces between India and Pakistan over Kashmir began in 1948 under the title of Cease Fire Line. It was regarded as a to be an international borderline between the nations. In 1972, a second agreement was concluded, namely the Simla Agreement, with a slight modification of the Cease Line Fire, which later was later changed to Line Of Control (LOC). Through this agreement, both countries agreed that both remain in their territories within the region of LOC. The first breach of LOC was committed in India in 1984. the attack was launched through the Indian military on Siachen, occupying ten sq Km of territory along the border. Indian military showed aggression, and it was the first attempt to attack the Simla Agreement. A significant conflict was triggered between the two countries. Six talks were held between rivalries during which Pakistan was in the position of opinion that India needed to pull out of the Siachen. However, Pakistan could not get any positive outcomes from these negotiations. In 1988, again Indian forces attacked Qamar Sector; Pakistan's army responded, but Indians could keep ten posts on Pakistan's territory. The attack was followed by another Indian assault at the Nellum Valley route on Pakistan's border. The subsequent conflicts were eye-opening for Pakistan as all the agreements were insufficient to stop the Indian invasion.

Things were not going as planned for Pakistan, and Pakistan began to realize this was the best time to thwart Indian aggression. India began to attack Nellum Valley regularly. Pakistan quickly reacted and began to attack the Dras-Kargil highway, where India was in a lot of trouble because the Indian supply routes were blocked. Pakistan's army was able to subjugate the Kargil and a few posts that fell under the control of India, and the height advantage also went to Pakistan. Indian President L.K Advani, as well as several other leaders, have condemned the act of Pakistan. India also began to move its army into these regions. The mission was launched under the title Vijay Operation, in which India mobilized around 200,000 soldiers. A major conflict broke out, and many innocents together with LOC, was killed. India was able to attack the Pakistan army, which was equipped with a variety of weapons, including tiny guns, anti-aircraft guns, and rocket launchers. The air force of India was also involved. The only reason that Indian army had at the time was to take down the Pakistan military posts, which had a clear advantage in height. To accomplish this, Indian firstly targeted the Tiger Hill with full power during this battle. India was able to regain several vital territories. Both countries lost a lot of soldiers in the area. Then, the war broke out in the Dras Sector, where India just damaged the Pakistan army. The Indians also reclaimed the post. India was confronted with many problems from its enemies, the Mujahedeen of Kashmir, at every stage of their plan. A lot of Indian soldiers were executed by Mujahedeen. India began its final assault against the Pakistan army in every zone that was occupied and took around 80percent of the territory into their pockets.

In the end Pakistan was forced to withdraw from Kargil due to the pressures of America. American involvement in this war was evident. It appears that America was playing a neutral role in the conflict, but the reality is quite different. America used a unilateral strategy, and it was that Pakistan had to quit Kargil. Indian diplomats had a hard time exploiting the existing conditions during the Kargil conflict. It was the perception of Pakistan was portrayed by the international circles as an antagonistic and terrorist state. However, America was not happy with Pakistan its nuclear programme. Another important aspect was the unprecedented trip of Nawaz Sharif of America and the unscheduled visit to American President Clinton. This led to the making of Pakistan an accountable state and contributed to America's tilt toward a unilateral approach.

Kargil War was a bloody affair that resulted in numerous casualties on both sides. Nearly 587 soldiers were killed in India and about 387 soldiers died in Pakistan. The effects of the war were more devastating for Pakistan and India. The inability of politicians was observed during the war, which was why Nawaz Sharif's government was forced to resign the same year. Insufficient and ineffective communication between the military and civilian government was in the public. The Pakistan country was unaware of what was happening in Kargil? The war impacted the perception of Pakistan at an international level. Pakistan was set to confront numerous challenges from the international community. The the international community began to shift toward India more kindly than Pakistan. International media also acknowledged its biases and began to report against Pakistan and the Nawaz-Clinton summit, which was portrayed as "Pakistan is withdrawing from Kashmir". Mujahedeen made the most of the situation and immediately began to take aim at Indian military. This war gave the opportunity of the freedom fighters of Kashmir to behave more well-organized and effectively.

To sum up, the Kargil war for Pakistan was a defensive, offensive strategy, but it was unsuccessful in both. The battle that was clearly won on base of military strategy was ultimately lost in a way on a diplomatic front. Pakistan was forced to pay for this both.