When Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave Pakistan new lease of life in 1999

As India celebrates the victory of good over vice this Dussehra, it is time to share some good stories from the past of Indian leaders who pardoned the enemy even in the wake of open aggression. Here is one such from 1999.

Indian Army was all set to enter Pakistan-occupied Kashmir way back in 1999 but they were stopped by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee following international pressure, according to General (retd) VP Malik.

Talking about the 1999 Kargil conflict, the former Army chief said, the Indian forces were ready to cross the LoC to retaliate Pakistani incursion, but they were stopped by Vajpayee, following international pressure.

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“On June 2, PM Vajpayee told the Army not to cross the border. The then national security adviser Brajesh Mishra had said in an interview that the Army was told ‘not to cross the border today, but we don’t know about tomorrow’,” Gen Malik said.

According to the General, Indian soldiers were very unhappy with the decision. It required three days of “convincing from the then PM” to make the Army chief “let them (Pakistan) go. “In the hindsight, it was a right decision,” he said.

Speaking on leadership and motivation during the Switch Global Expo at Ahmedabad on Monday, Gen Malik said: “After the surgical strikes, we don’t have to beg to the international community (to build pressure on Pakistan to stop supporting terror activities against India). We have to tell them that if they (Pakistan) continue to do this, we will have to go to war.”

Amid heightened tension and politics over the surgical strikes recently conducted by the Indian Army in PoK, Gen Malik was, however, apprehensive if Pakistan will change following the recent surgical strikes.

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“I am not optimistic that Pakistan will change after one surgical strike. We must be prepared for more action from them and more reaction from us,” IE quoted him as saying.

Gen Malik also hit out at politicians for indulging in the war of words over the surgical strikes. “We have to tell them that when it comes to national security, we must work together,” he said.