What happened (Dras address on Kargil Vijay Diwas, 26 July 2026)
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh addressed the 27th Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations in Dras on 26 July 2026 and used “Operation Sindoor” to argue that India can respond to Pakistan’s actions with a severity beyond Pakistan’s expectations.
Raksha Mantri reiterated an explicit engagement boundary with Pakistan: India will have no talks with Pakistan, and any dialogue should focus only on Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoK), described as an integral part of India that Pakistan illegally occupies.
Tributes and commemorative programme
Raksha Mantri paid tributes to soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the 1999 Kargil War and remembered Param Vir Chakra awardees Captain Vikram Batra and Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey.
During the event, Raksha Mantri laid a wreath at the Cenotaph, observed silence, witnessed “Gaurav Gatha”, inaugurated a Virtual Walkthrough Portal on the Kargil War, visited the Hut of Remembrance and Veer Bhoomi, and flagged in the “Shaurya Vijay Yatra” motorcycle rally.
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- Raksha Mantri lauds Operation Sindoor as proof of India’s defence preparedness and ‘Atmanirbharta’ push
- Need Kargil-style review of Operation Sindoor after ex-CDS’s remarks: Ramesh
- Mann Ki Baat (Episode 136) English rendering: Kargil Vijay Diwas, Shaurya Vijay Yatra and defence developments
- Dialogue with Pak. will only be on PoK: Rajnath Singh
- Dr. Jitendra Singh on Kargil Vijay Diwas: Partition as “greatest blunder”, PoJK the only pending India-Pakistan issue