President pays respect to martyrs of Kargil war 

SRINAGAR:  President Ram Nath Kovind, who could not fly to Kargil due to bad weather, offered floral tributes to soldiers killed in the 1999 Kargil War at War Memorial in north Kashmir’s Baramulla on Monday. The president was scheduled to attend the Kargil Vijay Diwas function at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass, Ladakh to mark the 22nd anniversary of Kargil war.

However, due to bad weather, the trip to Kargil was cancelled and the president visited the Dagger War Memorial in Baramulla in north Kashmir and laid a wreath to pay tributes to all soldiers killed in 1999 war with Pakistan.

“The nation salutes the soldiers and officers of the 19th Infantry Division, who have been safeguarding our borders in the most hostile terrains under adverse weather conditions as our frontline troops. They have scripted exceptional stories of indomitable courage, bravery and sacrifice,” the President said in his message. 

He later visited Army’s High Altitude Warfare School, Gulmarg, which is a premier institution in the field of warfare. There he interacted with soldiers and officers. It is the second time that President Kovind had to cancel his Kargil visit on Kargil Vijay Diwas. In 2019, too, he could not visit Kargil due to bad weather. President Kovind became the first high-profile person to visit J&K since the bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.