New Delhi, July 10
Former Army Chief V.P Malik today regretted the level of government support to the families of fallen war heroes, calling it inadequate and a cause of “alienation” among those who lost their loved ones in the battlefield.His comments coincided with the seventh anniversary of “Operation Vijay” in Kargil.
“I feel that the martyrs of wars and those who sacrificed their lives in proxy wars are not being given their due respect,” General Malik, who was the Army Chief during 1999 Kargil conflict, told PTI.
The government, he insisted, was showing little interest in holding services in honour of the slain war heroes.
“If you want to improve your strategic culture then you should take interest in these things,” he said.
The General also cited his experiences with the families of soldiers who had died in the Kargil conflict.
“I keep meeting the families of Kargil jawans who sacrificed their lives. The common feeling among the families is that they were looked after only initially and now nobody bothers about them. Families of those who laid down their lives in wars and proxy wars feel alienated after some time,” General Malik said.
He maintained that other democratic countries were far more supportive to their war heroes and families.
“For example, in fact yesterday, the father of Lieut Vijyant Thapar, a Kagil martyr, invited people to mark the Shaurya Divas (Kargil victory). Then there was M.S Bitta, All-India Anti-Terrorist Front chief, taking the initiative to remember the war heroes. Such events should be organised by the government,” General Malik remarked.— PTI
