DRASS: As the country celebrates two decades of its victory in the

conflict, there is ambiguity about a contentious area, known as Point 5353, one of the highest and strategic peaks near Line of Control in Drass sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

The top Army commanders who led the Indian response 20 years ago have claimed that Point 5353 was in the occupation of the

army prior to the Kargil conflict and that the

never attempted to capture it in 1999. However, the

despatches, accessed by TOI, have indicated that the Army had made an unsuccessful attempt to capture the important geographical feature.

The despatches, exchanged regarding military operations, have revealed that a team led by Major Navneet Mehta of 16-Grenadiers had tried to capture Point 5353. Maj Mehta had made the attempt because the post was occupied by the Pakistan troops and used as an artillery observation post, which was creating problems for the Indian troops.

‘Point 5353 was under Pakistan control much before Kargil war’

When asked about Point 5353, Puspinder Oberoi, the then commanding officer of 16 Grenadiers regiment, in a communication to his superiors during the war, informed them about the attempt made by his troops to capture Point 5353.

“Two attacks were made by troops of my battalion on Point 5353. Maj Navneet Mehta and 30 men carried out an attack. The men had to move on a razor edge till they met a deep gorge and suffered 13 injured casualties at around 1,200 metres for the objectives under effective enemy fire,” says the communication sent by Col Oberoi to his superiors.

In a similar communication, Maj Mehta had also informed his commanding officer explaining how he carried the attack to capture Point 5353 and the problems because of which he could not capture the feature. In his hand-written statement, a copy of which is with TOI, Maj Mehta had categorically stated that he was to capture Point 5353 by May 18, 1999/600 hours.

“We reached the base of the cliff and tried to go up through all possible places and all possible manners. In the process, we ended up having 13 casualties, conditions were extreme in strong cold winds, snowing and a sheer deep cliff. The attacking column had developed chest congestion, excessive coughing and breathlessness along with wounds due to continuous attempts. Thus, the attack had to be called off at 300 hours/ May 19, 1999,” goes the communication sent by Maj Navneet to his commanding officer about the attack.

Interestingly, when TOI contacted General V P Malik, who led the Kargil war, he claimed that Point 5353 was in Pakistan’s occupation much before the Kargil war and 8 Mountain Division, which was defending the Kargil sector, never made an attempt to recapture it.

“The LoC in this area was drawn in 1972 by joining several heights (points) with straight lines. The line went over Point 5353. The approach to Point 5353 was from Pakistan’s side. Sometime after 1972 — do not know which year but well before Kargil war — the Pakistan army had occupied Point 5353. During the war, 8 Mountain Division made no attempt to capture it,” Gen Malik said.

It is for the first time that the then Army Chief clarified the contentious issue. He, however, claimed that “to neutralize any advantage to Pakistanis from this height, the Indian Army has occupied the next height to its southwest (Point 5240) through which the LoC passed”.

When contacted, Lt Gen A N Aul, who was then a brigadier and heading 56 Mountain Brigade that was conducting the operations in that area, reiterated Gen Malik’s version. “As per the agreement, no army was occupying these posts before the Kargil war. Pakistan had occupied it before the war and it was not in our area. To be on a safer side, we had occupied Point-5240 to make ourselves on safer position from Point 5353,” Aul added.

Lt Gen Aul, who later retired as chief of staff of Army’s Western Command, added that no attempt was made to capture Point 5353 and even expressed ignorance about any attacked carried by 16 Grenadiers to capture Point 5353.

Brigadier Surinder Singh, who had commanded 121-Infantry Brigade during Kargil and was the first officer to be dismissed immediately after Kargil conflict, however, claimed that Point 5353 is very much on Indian side of the Line of Control and strategically highly important feature because it overlooks the national highway as well as alternate route to Kargil.