The Kargil War began in May 1999 when Pakistani soldiers and militants crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and occupied strategic heights in the Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The intrusion caught India off guard and led to a full-scale military response.
India launched Operation Vijay, which lasted over two months and involved heavy artillery, air strikes, and infantry battles. By early July, Indian forces had recaptured most of the peaks, and Pakistani troops started withdrawing under international pressure.
On July 4, 1999, with Pakistan losing ground and U.S. pressure mounting, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee personally called Pakistan’s PM Nawaz Sharif.
He demanded that Pakistan send its Director General Military Operations (DGMO) to meet India’s DGMO for formal talks. The goal was to ensure a full and unconditional withdrawal of Pakistani forces beyond the LoC.
In response, India sent Lt Gen Nirmal Chander Vij (retd), then the DGMO, and Brig Mohan Bhandari (retd), his deputy, to Attari near Amritsar for the meeting on July 11.
This was the first and only DGMO-level meeting between the two countries during the Kargil conflict.
Brig Bhandari, now retired as Lt General and living in Ranikhet, recalled the event: “As per the schedule, we left Delhi at 6:30 am and reached Amritsar by 8:15 am. From there, we took a helicopter to Attari.”
Bhandari was stunned to see Pakistan’s DGMO, Lt Gen Tauqir Zia (retd), standing alone at the border.m “I saw Zia standing by himself, smoking, with his cap askew. I had met him before during Siachen talks. I asked, ‘Ye kya hai Tauqir... akele?’ He replied, ‘Kya karun? Miyan Saab ne joote khane ke liye akele bhej diya.’”
Zia's words referring to then-PM Nawaz Sharif as "Miyan Saab" suggested he had been sent alone to face Indian anger.
This broke military protocol. Such meetings usually involve a full delegation. In response, Bhandari asked Zia to at least bring over a few Pakistan Rangers from the nearby post to maintain formality.
Three officers joined him. But Indian officials, still upset over Pakistan’s betrayal during peace talks earlier, deliberately made them wait 10 minutes before beginning the discussion.
The meeting lasted nearly three hours. Indian officials laid down firm conditions for Pakistan’s withdrawal. “Our DGMO gave them directions on the Dos and Don'ts while retreating beyond LoC,” Bhandari said. “Zia and his officers simply took notes. They didn’t say anything. When asked if they had doubts, Zia said, ‘No doubt.’” This showed that Pakistan had accepted its position as the losing side and was in no position to negotiate.
After the meeting, the Indian side hosted lunch for the Pakistani team. Then, Zia and his officers left quietly. But the story didn’t end there. Despite India’s explicit instruction not to lay landmines while retreating, Pakistani troops did exactly that. This act worsened the already fragile trust between the two countries.
The Kargil War was a major international flashpoint. The United States and global powers pressured Pakistan to back off. Nawaz Sharif met with President Bill Clinton in Washington just days earlier on July 4, where the U.S. demanded Pakistan’s withdrawal to the LoC.
India had vowed not to cross the LoC but insisted on full Pakistani withdrawal. The meeting at Attari helped seal that condition through military-to-military communication rather than battlefield escalation.
By July 26, the Indian Army had reclaimed all occupied territory a day now celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas.
However, the Kargil War left behind scars especially the betrayal of trust from Pakistan during ongoing peace efforts. The Attari DGMO meeting stands as a rare and revealing moment in the war’s final stages, reflecting both diplomatic tact and military firmness on India’s part.
