Kargil order of battle
The Kargil war order of battle (KWORBAT), is a deposition and systematic combatant structure of the Indian Army troops and the unified Pakistan Armed Forces combat commands, active in the Kargil region in 1999, during the Kargil War. The Indian Army orbat is based on the publications provided by the Indian military authors, news media and official sources.
The Pakistan orbat is based on the intelligence information provided by the Pakistani media (both electronic and print media), military authors, and Pakistani documentaries made after the 1999 conflict. The Pakistan orbat does not include the separatist fighters who, claimed by India, to be also involved in fighting atop the peaks of Kargil. However, this claim has been strongly dismissed by the senior military commanders of the Pakistan armed forces command, quoting that "all soldiers were the active duty personnel of the Pakistan Armed Forces.[1]
Indian Orbat
Indian Army
Northern Command
- XV Corps
- XV Corps Artillery Brigade
- HQ 8 Mountain Division (ex Sharifabad, Valley)
- 8 Mountain Artillery Brigade (division artillery)
- 121(Independent) Infantry Brigade Group
- 16 Grenadiers
- 4 Jat
- 3 Punjab
- 10 Garhwal Rif
- BSF battalion
- Det 17 Guards (ATGM)
- 56 Mountain Brigade (Matayan) (part of division)
- 50 (Independent) Parachute Brigade (ex Army HQ Reserves)
- 6 Para
- 7 Para
- 1 Para
- Det 19 Guards (ATGM)
- 192 Mountain Brigade (part of division)
- 18 Grenadiers
- 8 Sikh
- 9 Para
- Det 17 Guards (ATGM)
- 79 Mountain Brigade (Dras) (part of division)
- 17 Jat
- 28 Rashtriya Rifles
- 12 Mahar
- 13 JAK Rif
- 2 Naga
3 Infantry Division (Leh)
- 3 Artillery Brigade (divisional artillery)
- 70 Infantry Brigade Group (ex Demchok, China border) (regularly assigned to division)
- 1/11 Gorkha Rifles
- 12 JAK LI
- 10 Para
- 1 Bihar
- Ladakh Scouts
- 17 Garhwal Rif
- 5 Para
- 14 Sikh
- Det 19 Guards (ATGM)
- 102 (Independent) Infantry Brigade Group (Shyok River Valley) (normally under command 3 Division)
Kargil Theatre Artillery (these units took part in the war serving under various formations)
- 4 Field Regiment
- 15 Field Regiment
- 41 Field Regiment
- 108 Medium Regiment
- 139 Medium Regiment
- 141 Field Regiment
- 153 Medium Regiment
- 158 Medium Regiment
- 197 Field Regiment
- 212 Rocket Regiment
- 244 Heavy Mortar Regiment
- 253 Medium Regiment
- 255 Field Regiment
- 286 Medium Regiment
- 305 Medium Regiment
- 307 Medium Regiment
- 315 Field Regiment
- 1861 Light Regiment
- 1889 Light Regiment
Other battalions[2]
- 5 Special Frontier Force
- 663 Reconnaissance & Observation Squadron
- 668 Reconnaissance & Observation Squadron
- 13 Punjab
- 12 Grenadiers
- 22 Grenadiers
- 7 Jat
- 14 Sikh LI (Reserve)
- 9 Rashtriya Rifles
- 14 Rashtriya Rifles
- 17 Rashtriya Rifles
- 11 Sikh
- 3 JAK Rif
- 16 Dogra
- 5 Rajput
- 9 Mahar
Indian Air Force
Apart from the involvement of the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force (IAF) also participated in the Kargil War as part of Operation Safed Sagar.
Pakistani Orbat
Initially, the Kargil order of battle was planned by the Directorate-General for Military Operaions (DGMO) Brigadier-General Nadeem Ahmed. However, after the IAF strike and Indian advancement in the region, the PAF and the Navy deployed and issued orders to their combat forces. Their missions were to conduct surveillance and air patrolling; no other combat units of PAF and Navy participated in the combat. The inter-services order of battle is mentioned in the table. According to the Pakistan news channels reports and military declassified information, the Kargil infiltration was comprehensively planned by the joint officers at the Joint staff Headquarters, a joint office secretariat which then-served under General Pervez Musharraf.
From the start of the conflict, there were numerous inter-services meetings coordinated by the chairman joint chiefs, to Prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The controversy still surrounds in the military science circle of the Pakistan armed forces, with chief of naval staff and chief of air staff including key theatre commanders of army combatant corps, bringing up the accusations that the Kargil front was launched without their knowledge or confidence.
Army formation
Field Operations Commanders | Command | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
General Pervez Musharraf | Chairman joint chiefs and Chief of Army Staff | Later ascended as the President of Pakistan in 1999 | |
Lieutenant-General Mahmud Ahmed | Field operation commander, X Corps | Promotion as director, ISI (2001), and commanded Regiment of Artillery (2004) | |
Lieutenant-General Shahid Aziz | DG Joint Intelligence North and Analysis | Promoted as chairman of the NAB (2005–07) | |
Major-General Jamshed Gulzar Kiyani | Director-General, Military Intelligence | Later commanded X Corps (2004) and chairman of FPSC (2004–07) | |
Major-General Ashraf Rashid | Field commander Northern Areas Command, directed special operations |
- Notes: Confusion still remains in Pakistan Army on how many actual army corps and units fought in the Kargil War. In a 2013 television interview to Capital Talk programme of Geo News, Colonel Ashfaq Hussain maintained that "not the entire army was fully informed; only few independent army units, assisted by special forces, were active in the area." It is confirmed that all personnel were the active-duty members of the Pakistan Army. According to Kargil theatre commander Lt. Gen. Shahid Aziz, no foreign elements were active in fight against the Indian army.
PAF formation
Field Operation Commander | Command | Notes |
---|---|---|
Air Chief Marshal Pervez Mehdi | Chief of Air Staff | |
Air Marshal Zahid Anis | DCAS Air Operations | Later promoted to as VCAS |
Air commodore Abid Rao | ACAS Operational Planning | Later promoted to three-star rank and the commandant of PAF Air War College |
- Note: No PAF F-16s took active participation in the conflict. All PAF missions were to conduct Combat air patrol in the area.
Navy formation
Field Operations Commander | Command | Notes |
---|---|---|
Admiral Fasih Bokhari | Chief of Naval Staff | Later ascended as chairman of NAB (2010) |
Vice-Admiral Aziz Mirza | Vice-Chief of Naval Staff | Promoted to four-star rank admiral and Chief of naval staff |
Rear-Admiral Shahid Karimullah | Field operations commander Karachi Command | Promoted to four-star rank admiral, chief of naval staff (2002–05) and minister of defence (1999–2002) |
Rear-Admiral Gulzaman Malik | Commander Northern Navy Command | Commanded the Submarine command (1999–2002) |
Commodore Afzal Tahir | Field commander, Naval air command | Also promoted to four-star rank admiral (2005–07) |
- Note: No Navy units took active participation. The Navy was on high-alert but strictly ordered by Admiral Bokhari not to escalate the crises into sea. Although, Navy had its own significance in the Kargil theatre, but no crucial operations and efforts were applied or undertaken by Navy to support the army. According to the chief of naval staff, General Pervez Musharraf, as chairman joint chiefs, had failed to take navy into confidence prior to the start of the conflict.
- Pakistan Navy Commander Karachi[7]
- Pakistan Naval Air Arm
- The Pakistan Navy, in a defensive mood, directed all its units to keep clear of Indian naval ships. As the exercise shifted closer to the Makaran Coast, Pakistan moved all its major combatants out of Karachi. The Navy remained on high-alert, although orders were not to escalate the crises to sea. The Navy launched surveillance operations; Karachi port remained on high-alert.[8]
References
- ↑ Aziz, Shahid (6 January 2013). "Putting our children in line of fire". The Nation. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ↑ This list is compiled from newspaper and casualty reports.
- ↑ Nishan i Haider
- ↑ In the FCNA region from October 1998 onwards
- ↑ Lieven Dewitte. "PAF F-16s deployed in Skardu". July 3, 1999. General F-16 News. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ↑ "Kargil Conflict and Pakistan Air Force". PAF operations. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ↑ "Navy in Kargil war". GLobal war. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ↑ Hiranandani, G.M. (2009). Transition to guardianship : the Indian navy 1991–2000. New Delhi: Published by Principal Director of Administration, Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) [in association with] Lancer Publishers. ISBN 1-935501-26-7.
27 Sind
Sources
- Indian Army – Kargil War 1999 v.2.0 8 March 2006 Mandeep S. Bajwa & Ravi Rikhye
- Kargil Committee Report Executive Summary