Flashback: PM Modi's emotional encounter with wounded soldier during Kargil war

New Delhi: As India pays homage to its bravehearts on the occasion of 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas on Friday, former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal recalled an emotional moment from July 1999 when he visited the battlezone along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet the wounded soldiers.

In a video shared by the BJP, Dhumal details his visit to Kargil and Kashmir with Narendra Modi, then General Secretary of the BJP, during the fierce war.

On July 4, 1999, both leaders journeyed to Kargil carrying essential supplies for the troops and visited hospitals to meet wounded soldiers.

An emotional moment arose when, on their way back, they encountered a soldier who had lost both hands and legs in a mine blast and was recuperating in Srinagar.

"As we were distributing essential items to soldiers in the hospital, one soldier did not take out his hand. We kept things by his side thinking that maybe he was disappointed with war or was in extreme pain. As we were leaving, a doctor came and told us that the soldier was badly wounded and had lost both his hands and legs," said Dhumal.

"We went back and Modi ji gently placed his hand on the soldier's head and asked if he was in great pain. The soldier responded inspiringly that the pain had gone since last evening when the Indian forces won back Tiger Hill. This profoundly moved both of us," recalled Dhumal.

During their visit, the two leaders experienced that the victory on Tiger Hill had uplifted the soldiers' spirits despite their physical suffering.

"Deeply moved, Modi and Dhumal spent significant time with them. For Dhumal, that visit remains a profound memory, encapsulating Narendra Modi's mission of hope, solidarity, and tribute to the spirit of India's soldiers," the BJP posted along with old photographs, calling it an "inspiring moment" from PM Modi's 1999 visit to Kargil.

On Friday, Prime Minister Modi visited Ladakh once again, saluting the supreme sacrifice made by the Indian soldiers in the line of duty, emphasising yet again that the nation is forever indebted and deeply grateful to the "mighty superheroes" of Indian armed forces.

Recalling the days of Kargil war, PM Modi said he was fortunate to be amid the soldiers back then, adding that he still remembers how Indian soldiers carried out a difficult operation at such a height.

"I salute the brave sons of the country who made the supreme sacrifice to protect the motherland," he said.