Vajpayee@100: Dining out with PM after Kargil War

On December 25, India celebrated the birth centenary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

- General VP Malik (retd)

n December 25, India celebrated the birth centenary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. As army chief and chairman, chiefs of staff committee, I had the good fortune to work with him closely, particularly during the Kargil War. A statesman par excellence, Vajpayee ji was genteel, soft spoken and a great listener. He was a persuasive leader; never dictatorial in our conversations and discussions.

During the Kargil War, as chairman of the cabinet committee for security, he directed that the Indian armed forces would not cross the Line of Control or the international border. Once he spoke about this restriction on us in public, I advised him immediately not to do so. I reasoned with him that if we were unable to fully succeed in our mission in Kargil, I would need his permission to cross the LoC/border somewhere else. He realised the implications and asked national security adviser Brajesh Mishra to announce on a TV channel that "not crossing the LoC holds good today, we can't say about that for tomorrow".