Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said India is ready to cross the Line of Control (LoC) to maintain its honour and dignity. He called upon the civilian population to be ready to support the soldiers in such a situation.

Rajnath was speaking at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass (Kargil), near the LOC, on the occasion of the 24th Kargil Vijay Diwas. Earlier, he laid a wreath at the memorial to pay tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives in the 1999 Kargil war.

The defence minister met family members of the soldiers who lost their lives in the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan. He also presented them mementos and a shawl as a mark of respect.

Rajnath also visited the ‘Hut of Remembrance’ museum constructed in Drass to commemorate the 1999 Kargil war Bravehearts.

He said Pakistan backstabbed us by imposing the Kargil war was imposed on India. “I salute our brave sons who put the country first and sacrificed their lives,” he added.

Rajnath said if during the Kargil war we did not cross the LoC, it does not mean that we could not cross it. “We could cross the LoC, we can cross the LoC and will cross the LoC in future if need arises. I assure the countrymen of this”.

“Even after winning the war on 26 July 1999 if our forces did not cross the LoC, it was because we are peace-loving, we believe in Indian values and we have commitment to international laws”, he said.

He said the honour and dignity of the nation is above everything for us and for this we can go to any extent.

Referring to the Russia-Ukraine war, the defence minister said; “In the recent times, the way the wars are getting prolonged, in the coming times, the public should be ready to participate in the war not only indirectly, but also directly. I believe that the public has to be mentally prepared for the fact that whenever the nation needs them, they should be ready to help the Army. That’s why I want to say this to the people of the country that the way every soldier is an Indian, in the same way every Indian should always be ready to play the role of a soldier”.

“In a war, not only the army fights, but any war is between two nations,” he said.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, Army chief General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, also laid wreaths at Kargil War Memorial in Drass.

Four MIG 29 aircraft flew past over the Kargil War Memorial and three Cheetah helicopters of Army Aviation also flew past over the Kargil War Memorial and shower flower petals.