During the Kargil conflict, the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was reluctant to use the Air Force and refused to give it permission to cross the Line of Control, former Air Chief Anil Tipnis said on Friday.
Speaking at the launch of a book titled ‘A Prime Minister toremember- Memories of a military chief’, penned by former Navy chief SushilKumar, Tipnis recalled a meeting he and the then army chief Ved Malik had withVajpayee during the 1999 Kargil fighting.
Tipnis said Vajpayee wanted to know from General Malik ifthe ground forces could do without the use of Air Force.
“Even before Ved Malik could respond, I chipped in sayingthe Army needs it and we are ready. The Prime Minister was pensive for a fewmoments and then said ‘kal subah shuruwat kariyega (begin tomorrow morning),”Tipnis said. He also spoke about asking for Vajpayee’s permission to cross theLoC.
“In a voice firmer than I had ever heard… (Vajpayee said)’No, we will not cross the Line of Control’,” Tipnis said.
He said the Indian Air Force was ready to join the Army inthe operation at a short notice of six hours.
Admiral (Retd.) Sushil Kumar, who was navy chief at the timeof Kargil conflict, said Vajpayee turned a “strategic loss” to a massivevictory.
Lt General (Retd.) Chandra Shekhar, who served as vice chiefof army, also lauded Vajpayee’s role during the Kargil conflict.”The Kargil war demonstrated the Indian resolveand the close synergy among the three services,” he added.