The army on Tuesday installed a 100-feet-tall national flag in Gulmarg as part of the 75th Independence Day celebrations.
Lt Gen YK Joshi, army commander, northern command, presided over the ceremony where he also honoured the next of kin of martyrs.
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“The army commander also felicitated members of civil society who have contributed immensely towards nation building through various endeavours,” army’s press statement said. It said the flag is set amid beautiful and salubrious surroundings of Gulmarg, and “the monument has already become a major draw for tourists who have been flocking to the monument to take selfies against backdrop of the National Flag.”
During the ceremony, Joshi said the flag is a tribute to the countless Kashmiris who have made the ultimate sacrifice while safeguarding the unity and integrity of the nation. “Incidentally, Gulmarg is one of the locations along the Line of Control wherein Pakistani troops infiltrated in 1965 and owing to the prompt response of young shepherd Mohd Din, who alerted the security forces about the same, the Indian Army was greatly benefitted in defeating the nefarious designs of Pakistan,” the statement said.