Be it the icy war fields of Galwan, Kargil and Siachen or the battles fought in the hot expanse of the Thar desert – tourists can now experience the war zones for themselves.

On January 15, India’s Ministry of Defence opened its historical as well as active battlefields and geopolitical zones for visitors as part of its new endeavour ‘Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan’. The initiative will see some of its iconic and inaccessible war zones transform into tourist destinations. The newly inaugurated ‘Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan’ includes Galwan, and Doklam along with 75 other forward sites that have witnessed some military action in the past. These battle sites have been shortlisted by the Indian Army for “battlefield tourism” in association with the Ministry of Tourism. This would give a major boost to tourism, create awareness about the military’s history and instil patriotism.

Once remote, now accessible

Visitors can make all travel-related arrangements including applying for permits on the ‘Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan’ website and app. The app offers a comprehensive guide to tourists, which includes historical insights, battle accounts, stories of bravery, and applications for permissions.

For tourists, this marks the beginning of a new frontier in tourism, which was earlier restricted to the foot-thumping ceremony by BSF soldiers at the Attari border.

There are opportunities to hear and witness the tales of valour and sacrifice that have occurred in our living memory amidst the world’s most stunning as well as treacherous landscapes. Tourism of forward areas has always been a wanted thing by people who are not in uniform. The tourists can now see for themselves the site (albeit, from a distance) of the deadly clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in June 2020 leading to the loss of 20 Indian soldiers and several Chinese fighters.

The cause of the conflict was Chinese forces objecting to Indian road construction in the part patrolled by Indian troops.

Earlier in June 2017, there was a two-month standoff in Doklam, between India and China, when the latter began construction of a road here and Indian troops entered to stop the construction.

The Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest and coldest battlefield, and Kargil in Kashmir, the site of a 1999 conflict with Pakistan, hold great historical and geopolitical significance for India. These too have been opened up for tourists. Tourists can travel the area from the Siachen Base Camp (12,000 ft) up to 15,000 ft, getting a closer look at the difficult topography in which our soldiers operate in extreme conditions.

Enhanced infrastructure

Boosting up of border infrastructure in recent years has made this journey possible. Full credit to the government of India for taking up and spearheading efforts to develop infrastructure and promote adventure tourism in border regions.

Overcoming the earlier mindset and constraints of not developing the LAC (Line of Actual Control) along the India-China border, the Indian government has majorly expanded and improved the infrastructure networks of the LAC in the last 10 years. The road network has immensely improved in the region.

Since Galwan, more bridges and tunnels have been constructed to improve the LAC infrastructure. Plans are there to significantly increase rail infrastructure as well.

Some of the other battle sites include those along India’s borders with China and Pakistan which have had a history of wars after independence – the 1962 war with China and the 1967 war, at Nathu La in Sikkim, Bum La and Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh etc. On the western frontier, the Battle of Longewala was one of the first big conflicts during the India-Pakistan war of 1971, fought at the Indian border post of Longewala in the Thar desert.

“So far, Indian citizens were not being actively encouraged for security reasons. Now, they will get an opportunity to interact with soldiers deployed in the borders and learn firsthand about their rigours on the borders and their sacrifices,” says Lt Gen Satish Dua, former chief of Integrated Defence Staff.

The altering of combat zones, mostly in border areas, into tourism centres has also given a boost to the local economy. It has helped stop migration and attracted local communities to undertake small/medium businesses.

Tourism and associated activities in the Longewala border are a case in point. The Centre along with the Rajasthan government has developed and curated the Longewala border and its associated history – the Tanot Mata temple, Kishangarh Fort, and Longewala war memorial along with the picturesque villages within the vast desert landscape – have become major tourist attractions in the area.

Now, with new destinations in the Himalayan hills, the local population in the far-flung mountainous areas also won’t feel alienated and will have touch with the national mainstream. Unique products from these areas can be found in the main market.

“In several places, camps may have to be established and wherever possible, homestays may spring up. Enhanced infrastructure in border areas will always be an asset for soldiers and citizens alike,” says Lt General Dua.

“An unintended advantage will be the enhanced presence of citizens in border areas, which is always a positive dynamic in sparsely populated areas. It may be appreciated that the Kargil intrusion was first reported by graziers,” he added.

Previously, in 2023, the central government had launched the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’, for the comprehensive development of select villages in 46 blocks adjoining the northern border in 19 districts in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Ladakh. Through these various endeavours, the tourism potential, and promotion of local, cultural, and traditional knowledge and heritage of the border areas can surely be leveraged.

(The author is Contributing Editor, NDTV)

Ladakh:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kargil today on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas and pay homage to the bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.

PM Modi will visit the Kargil War Memorial at around 9:20 am and pay tribute to the bravehearts.

The arrangements are in full accordance with security purposes at the Kargil War Memorial at Dras, ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit.

The Prime Minister will carry out the first blast of the Shinkun La Tunnel Project virtually.

An official release said that Shinkun La Tunnel Project consists of a 4.1 km long Twin-Tube tunnel which will be constructed at an altitude of around 15,800 feet on the Nimu – Padum – Darcha Road to provide all-weather connectivity to Leh.

Once completed, it will be the highest tunnel in the world. Shinkun La tunnel will not only ensure swift and efficient movement of the country’s armed forces and equipment but also foster economic and social development in Ladakh.

As the country celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas today, the families of the soldiers remember the bravery and dedication of their loved ones who laid their lives during the war between India and Pakistan at icy heights in 1999.

Madhubala, widow of Kargil hero Vinod Kumar, said, “On May 18, 1997, we got married and on June 14, 1999, he lost his life. I feel very good to be here and feel proud.”

Rajender Kumar, the elder brother of Kargil hero, soldier Bejender Kumar, said that he feels proud that his brother died for the country.

“I feel so proud; he died for the country. We remember him every day,” he said.

Prashanti, wife of Kargil hero, Group Captain K Nachiketa Rao, said that, like all the other countrymen, she used to pray everyday for his repatriation from Pakistan.

K Nachiketa Rao was a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force who was captured by Pakistani forces before he was handed over to the Indian authorities.

“I feel very proud. The bravery and courage he had shown. We were not married at the time of the war. We married after two years of it. Like all the other countrymen, we used to pray every day for his repatriation (from Pakistan). We feel proud as there are very few people who get such a chance to show such bravery and then get to comeback and live to tell those tales,” Prashanti said.

Kargil Vijay Diwas, observed annually on July 26, commemorates the success of Operation Vijay in 1999. During this conflict, Indian forces successfully reclaimed strategic positions in the Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir that had been infiltrated by Pakistani soldiers and terrorists.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

In this Feb. 20, 1999 file photo, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, left, receives Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Wagah border near Lahore, Pakistan.
| Photo Credit: AP

Former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif on May 28 admitted that Islamabad had “violated” an agreement with India signed by him and ex-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999, in an apparent reference to the Kargil misadventure by Gen Pervez Musharraf.

“On May 28, 1998, Pakistan carried out five nuclear tests. After that Vajpayee Saheb came here and made an agreement with us. But we violated that agreement…it was our fault,” Mr. Sharif told a meeting of the PML-N general council that elected him president of the ruling party six years after he was disqualified by the Supreme Court.

Also read | Vajpayee, Sharif spoke over phone in the midst of Kargil War, says book

Mr. Sharif and Vajpayee signed the Lahore Declaration on February 21, 1999, after a historic summit here. The agreement that talked about a vision of peace and stability between the two countries signalled a major breakthrough, but a few months later Pakistani intrusion in the Kargil district in Jammu and Kashmir led to the Kargil War.

“President Bill Clinton had offered Pakistan $5 billion to stop it from carrying out nuclear tests but I refused. Had [former prime minister] Imran Khan like a person been on my seat he would have accepted Clinton’s offer,” Mr. Sharif said on a day when Pakistan marked the 26th anniversary of its first nuclear tests.

Mr. Sharif (74) talked about how he was removed from the office of the prime minister in 2017 on a false case by then chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar. He said all cases against him were false while the cases against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder leader Imran Khan were true.

He also talked about the role of former ISI chief Gen Zahirul Islam in toppling his government in 2017 to bring Imran Khan into power. He asked Imran Khan to deny that he was not launched by the ISI.

“I ask Imran not to blame us [of being patronised by the army] and tell whether Gen Islam had talked about bringing the PTI into power,” he said and added Khan would sit at the feet of the military establishment.

The three-time premier talked about receiving a message from Gen Islam to resign from the office of Prime Minister [in 2014]. “When I refused, he threatened to make an example of me,” he said.

Mr. Sharif also praised his younger brother Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for standing by his side through thick and thin. “Efforts were made to create differences between us but Shehbaz remained loyal to me. Even Shehbaz was asked to become PM in the past and leave me but he declined,” he said.

Mr. Sharif said after assuming the office of the PML-N President he would renew efforts to strengthen the party.

Srinagar:

Around 77.61 per cent voting was recorded on Wednesday in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council elections in Kargil, the first key poll to be conducted in Kargil district of Ladakh as Union Territory (UT) after Article 370 was scrapped in August 2019.

The votes will be counted on Sunday. As many as 85 candidates are fighting for 26 seats.

During the polling most of the voters talked about identity issues post scrapping of 370 and absence of democratic representation under Union Territory administration.

“We are angry because Modi has separated us from Kashmir in 2019,” said Zehra Bano.

Seventy-year-old Zehra was part of large number of women in Kargil who came out to vote.

Another voter said that they want to be reunited with Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory experiment has failed to deliver.

“we want statehood back. We didn’t get anything under UT and our children are unemployed,” he said.

The contest is between the BJP and the National Conference-Congress combine. The vote is being looked at as a referendum – if the people have accepted the Centre’s decision of August 5, 2019.

At a poll rally, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had urged voters to send a “clear message to reject or accept” the decision made by the NDA government on August 5, 2019.

Kargil has long been a National Conference stronghold.

Two powerful religious institutions – the Jamiat Ulema Kargil, known as the Islamia School, traditionally backing the National Conference, and the Imam Khumaini Memorial Trust backing the Congress – are driving the politics in Kargil.

Earlier, the Ladakh administration had denied the “plough” symbol to National Conference candidates which led to a legal battle, with the Supreme Court setting aside the Ladakh hill council polls, earlier scheduled for September 10.

Over the last three years, political parties, social and religious groups in Ladakh have forged an alliance opposing Ladakh’s UT status and demanding full statehood and constitutional protection under the 6th schedule. The rare political alliance between Buddhist and Muslim groups in Leh and Kargil districts is posing a major challenge to BJPs electoral prospects in Ladakh.

Kargil:

Drass, the world’s second-coldest inhabited place, is gripped by the election fever and preparations have been made for polling today. This is the first Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council elections in Kargil after Article 370 was scrapped and Ladakh was made a separate Union Territory (UT) in August 2019.

This election is a fight between the BJP and a combined Opposition of the National Conference and Congress. Wednesday’s vote is being looked at as a referendum – if the people have accepted the Centre’s decision of August 5, 2019.

Mohammad Iqbal, a resident of Drass, said: “Wednesday’s vote is more about the identity of the people than development. The 73-year-old has worked as a porter with the Army for 40 years, including during the Kargil War in 1999.” He said that the people are feeling politically disempowered after Ladakh became a Union Territory.

“There are no elected MLAs or ministers here. The Hill Council has lost its authority after Ladakh was turned into a Union Territory. Yet this election is important for us,” Mohammad Iqbal said.

There are 85 candidates in the fray for the 26 seats in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil. The BJP is contesting on 17 and supporting some Independent candidates.

Kargil has been a traditional stronghold of the National Conference (NC) and the Congress was the main rival. Now, the opponents  have entered into an alliance to fight the BJP.

Two powerful religious institutions – the Jamiat Ulema Kargil, known as the Islamia School,  traditionally backing the National Conference, and the Imam Khumaini Memorial Trust backing the Congress – are driving the politics in Kargil. And religious clerics have also appealed to the people to vote against the BJP.

During campaigning, Jamyang Namgyal, the BJP MP from Ladakh, urged people to not vote for the NC-Congress alliance and called NC chief Farooq Abdullah a “Yazid” – a figure of hate for the Shia Muslims for his involvement in the killing of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad, in the battle of Karbala.

“Farooq Abdullah didn’t allow Muharram processions in Srinagar to mourn the martyrdom of Imam Hussain. It was the BJP which allowed the procession in Srinagar after 34 years,” Mr Namgyal said at an election meeting.

Earlier, the Ladakh administration had denied the “plough” symbol to National Conference candidates which led to a legal battle, with the Supreme Court setting aside the Ladakh hill council polls, earlier scheduled for September 10.

The top court dismissed Ladakh administration’s petition opposing the allotment of the “plough” symbol to the National Conference.

After the Supreme Court order, the Ladakh administration in a fresh notification announced that polling will take place on October 4 and results will be declared on October 8.

The hill council elections are important since they are held in the wake of a rare political alliance between the Buddhist and Muslim groups in the region.

Over the last three years, political parties, social and religious groups in Ladakh have forged an alliance opposing Ladakh’s UT status and demanding full statehood and constitutional protection under the 6th schedule.