The tenth anniversary celebration of India’s victory in the Kargil war at Drass was a soul-stirring spectacle. With the magnificent Tiger Hill and other mountaintops in the background, it was an emotional but very dignified event. In the evening, candles were reverently lit as homage to the martyrs, and the battleground on the mountaintops was lit up with mashals, which were probably visible to the Pakistan Army across the LoC. We remembered the sacrifices of our soldiers, the ferocity of the war, and the gallantry of the ‘bravest of the brave’. Everyone felt immense national pride and fulfillment.

I had yet another satisfaction that day — by laying a wreath to honour the Kargil martyrs at the India Gate Memorial, and lauding the armed forces for their sacrifice, valour and victory, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had de-politicised the war.

The Kargil war was imposed on the nation when we had an interim NDA government. General elections were due in a few days. Despite the full support of the nation, the armed forces were affected by political crossfire of a kind that had never been experienced in the past. Political parties managed to drag the armed forces into needless and unsavoury controversies, which impacted our morale, apolitical image and stature. One day, when I was out of station, the defensc minister ordered a military team to brief the ruling party in Parliament. The Opposition parties and the media created a justifiable furore when they learnt about it. On another occasion, the ruling party put up posters of the three military chiefs at a political rally in Haryana.

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