A quarter of a century after India secured a victory for the ages in the Kargil War, one of the most challenging high-altitude battles ever fought, the division which led the charge has another major reason to celebrate. Major General Sachin Malik is now commanding the 8 Mountain Division, which had led the charge in the Kargil War under the overall leadership of his father, General (Retired) VP Malik, who was the Army chief at the time.
General VP Malik had also once commanded the 8 Mountain Division and the father and son are now in Dras to mark the 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas on Friday. That is where NDTV caught up with them for an exclusive conversation.
"This is the 25th anniversary, which is a special occasion. I always come here to pay homage to the officers and men who were killed in action during the war and also to remember all the good work that our Army did. This year, it has also become special because Sachin is here and he is commanding the same division that I did, at the same place where we fought the war," General VP Malik said.
On the challenges in commanding the 8 Mountain Division, which works in difficult conditions right on the line of control, Major General Sachin Malik said he looks at it as a privilege as well as a huge responsibility.
"It is a huge privilege to command the 8 Mountain Division, which is known as the 'Forever in Operations' division – it has always been in operation right from raising (in 1963). While we are commemorating the Rajat Jayanti of the Kargil War, we have to remember that the bulk of my division remains committed and deployed on the line of control to ensure nothing of the sort ever happens again," Major General Malik asserted.
"The first thing that comes to mind is the huge responsibility. These peaks… a lot of blood has been shed on them and there is no way we will ever allow anybody to do that ever again. So we have to always remain absolutely alert, we have to remain ready for anything and we have to ensure nothing of that nature happens ever again," he added.
Major General Sachin Malik took over as the 42nd General Officer Commanding of the Mountain Division in February.
The Kargil War was fought between May and July 1999 when intruders from Pakistan occupied positions on the Indian side of the LoC. The Indian Army and Air Force valiantly fought them off and recaptured many strategic posts, forcing a withdrawal from the remaining ones.