We were deceived in Kargil, says Army

Army was deceived by the adversary as we believed they would abide by Shimla Agreement, says Lt Gen JK Mohanty.

The Army is prepared to thwart any repeat of the Kargil intrusions of 1999, which were the result of "trusting the adversary", a senior military officer said on Friday.

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"The Army was deceived by the adversary as we believed that they would abide by the Shimla Agreement. We were at fault in 1999 in trusting our adversary," General Officer Commanding, 14 Corps, Lt Gen JK Mohanty said on the occasion of Golden Jubilee of the Kargil Brigade.

Mohanty said that the Army had taken several steps to prevent a repetition of 1999 when India lost over 500 soldiers while evicting Pakistan-backed intruders from strategic heights in the Kargil region.

"The entire border has been sealed and the patrolling has been intensified. With the cooperation of the people, the Army has succeeded in achieving its goals," the officer said.

In response to a question, he said there was no recorded bid of infiltration by terrorists from across the border in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir controlled by 14 Corps.

Mohanty said the Army had no problems with the reopening of Kargil-Skardu route across the Line of Control. "In fact, Army wants it to be open as we want people of both sides to meet each other," he said adding that Pakistan did not agree to the idea.

Mohanty also lauded the people of Kargil for their support to the troops.