- Indian army buried the bodies after Pakistan claimed no involvement in the conflict
NEWS DESK: In 1999 after the Kargil War, then-Army Chief General Pervez Musharraf disowned Pakistani soldiers who laid down their lives while fighting the Indian forces, after which their bodies were buried by India.
The Kargil War was an armed conflict between Pakistan and India that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir. Initially, Pakistan denied any involvement in the conflict, blaming it entirely on Kashmiri insurgents.
According to an article, titled “India Buries Soldiers That Pakistan Won’t Claim”, published by The New York Times in 1999, the Indian Army buried the bodies of Pakistani soldiers after (then) army chief General Pervez Musharraf disowned the bodies, claiming Pakistan had no involvement in the conflict.
However, later on, Pakistan owned these military men and awarded them with the highest military bravery awards.
Many analysts deemed the Kargil War to be one of the misadventures of Musharraf, which exposed not only strategic failures but also institutional failures when then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif claimed that he was not briefed about the war.
Pervez Musharraf disowned his own troops in Kargil to save his skin. That defined him as a military commander and and a person.
— Umar Aftab Butt (@documaraftab) February 5, 2023
Former military ruler and president Pervez Musharraf passed away on Sunday after a prolonged illness, leaving behind a conflicted legacy.
Musharraf’s rule of nearly nine years, which started in 1999 with a military coup, was marred by immense political turmoil, especially in later years.
Initially, the military rule did receive backlash from the international powers, however, it gained international legitimacy in the wake of the US’s war on terrorism when Musharraf decided to ally with the US. The repercussions of which Pakistan still faces in the form of a rise in Islamic extremism, as well as state-backed enforced disappearances.
In March 2007, Musharraf fired then-Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, sparking country-wide protests by lawyers and activists. Later that year, the Supreme Court nullified Musharraf’s orders and reinstated the chief justice only to be suspended again when Musharraf imposed an emergency in November of the same year.
Musharraf was also named in cases related to Benazir Bhutto’s assassination and Nawab Akbar Bugti’s killing.
Musharraf resigned in 2008 amid impeachment charges.
Gen Musharraf has died. Now It’s between him and God, so no acrimonious remarks.
Burial be simple, private, dignified; no official trappings, no bugles, no draping in national flag please.
No affront to Constitution, to people, to parliament even if they’re weak & helpless today— Farhatullah Babar (@FarhatullahB) February 5, 2023
