India was minutes away from bombing Pakistan during Kargil war: report

By
PakistanToday
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22
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Indian Air Force pilots were very close to bombing targets deep inside Pakistan at the peak of the Kargil War on June 13, 1999, NDTV reported.

“At the height of Kargil War on June 13, 1999, Indian Air Force fighter pilots were minutes away from launching a full-fledged air attack deep inside Pakistan. Targets had been assigned, route maps finalised, personal revolvers to be carried by pilots had been loaded with ammunition and Pakistani currency collected, for use if pilots had to eject on the other side of the Line of Control and orchestrate an escape,” NDTV reported on Tuesday.
The close call followed failed negotiations in New Delhi between then Indian foreign minister Jaswant Singh and his Pakistani counterpart, Sartaj Aziz.
The Pakistani foreign minister was given terms to end the conflict between both countries — “withdraw Pakistani intruders from the Kargil mountains, abandon the demand for redrawing the Line of Control or de facto border in Kashmir, urgently restore the status quo by accepting the Line of Control as it had been defined for decades, and punish those who tortured six Indian soldiers, including Captain Saurabh Kalia, whose mutilated body had been returned to the bodies of the jawans he was leading in an operation in north Kashmir when they were captured by Pakistani soldiers,” NDTV said.
IAF had been readying for a pre-emptive strike at dawn on June 13, 1999. “Assigned their targets, the pilots then went about the business of preparing for their mission: We all returned at night after making Wiznavs [software used to calculate routes], goals [loading bullets into personal revolvers], maps and collecting Pakistan currency.”
However, in spite of boasting its might, IAF acknowledged the grave threat it faced on the Pakistani side of the border–“The mission itself came with extraordinary risks; the possibility that a few jets would be shot down was very likely. Pakistan’s premier fighters, the F-16s, were waiting on the other side, flying patrols between Pindi and Kahuta to detect and intercept any Indian strike mission.”
The report further adds, “But F-16s were not the only danger. India’s fighter pilots were acutely aware of the threat posed by French-made Crotale and Chinese made HQ2B Surface to Air Missiles (SAMs) meant to destroy incoming Indian aircraft. With a range of 10 km, Crotale SAMs would fly towards the Indian fighters at a speed of more than twice the speed of sound if they locked on to their targets.”
Interestingly, the war preparation exercise was to prove futile as India withdrew its decision to declare a full-fledged war between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Even though, at the time of the Kargil war, IAF had a distinct advantage. It not only had a larger number of jets in its fleet but was also armed with better weapons to intercept the enemy.

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22 COMMENTS

  1. Indians tried to send their two fighters to Pakistan and both the migs were dispatched to hell by Pakistan army.no wonders they didn’t have the stomach to suffer more humiliation 🙂

    • within seconds you could anihilate India..then why you did not do in kargil…why you retreated?? why your PM was begging before USA president then? why 2000 paki soldiers' cemetery is there in kargil? you bunch of filthy scum DNAs evolve first before vomiting here…

    • Then Mirage were sent and poor pakis were bombed like cats & dogs…2000 poor paki soldiers'cemetery is that testimonial…ask to parvez musharraf….LoL

  2. Good decision by India because India do not want to withdraw a big part of their soil. Pakistan was just seconds away (not minutes) to demolish all targets.

      • Indian war mongers are the ones living in a fool's world and the only reason they are is the backing from Zionist USA & IsraHell!!!!

        • Indian war mongers? I always thought of India as a peaceful nation that has never, in its 10,000 year history, invaded another country. Not even today, does India cover any other country's land.

  3. Difference of impact of Kargil ,was of Kargil War as indians refer to it and Kargil encounter as refered by Pakistan.india is lucky ,pakistan
    withdrew to original positions,after giving a beffitting set back to Indians.Forget Bombing deep inside Pakistan,for Pakistan Entire India is within seconds of from annihilation

    • That's why Indian jets bombed you like cats & dogs…2000 paki soldiers' cemetery is still there…wanna visit….

  5. Amazing idiots .. 3 wars till now .. and pakistan lost all .. still you have the gall to talk nonsense..
    Stop living a lie ..

    • Hahahahaha good joke, Pakistan and India have engaged in 4 wars for you kind of information Indo Pakistan war of 1947-1948, Indo Pakistani war of 1965, Indo Pakistani war of 1971 and Kargil war 1999, of which Pakistan has won 1965 war because our president Ayub Khan was not ready to sign Tashkent Declaration but due to pressure of United Nations, he signed that agreement, just after official signing your prime minister died due to heart attack because all of his dirty planes of capturing Pakistan were destroyed by our army. 1947 war was neither won by Pakistan nor by India, the facts of Kargil war were unclear and 1971 war was lost by Pakistan not because of your army but because of our own people (bengalis). They helped your army to capture half area of our country. If you don’t know the truth then please don’t write false statements.

  6. Who told you that you won all..this is what your school teaches you..its all lie.We ave effed yu in all wars.

  7. Dear neighbours.we snatched gilgit and azad Kashmir from India not from Bhutan.:)u love to speak about 1971 while forgetting the 1989 when your papa soviet union was broken into not less than 15 pcs.we have broken India long before in 1947 so think before you speak morons

    • So, you have broken USSR into 15 pieces..then you must be the first country landing on the moon too…LoL….in 1947 whether you snatched or you were thrown out…your papas better know….

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