1999 FIERY HEIGHTS

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Guns fired and a battle raged high on the icy mountains of Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir in an armed conflict between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999. Having stealthily made their way into the Indian side of the LOC, Pakistani infiltrators had to be pushed back by Indian troops. Pakistan blamed the war on Kashmiri militants but evidence from casualties proved otherwise. After three months of battle, the Indian jawans recaptured the lost territory. Many died, but cries of patriotism resounded, bringing the nation together like never before.






TWO MONTHS EARLIER…




Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee made the historic bus trip to Lahore on February 20 to meet his Pakistani counter-part Nawaz Sharif and initiate a peace talk.








FIRST CUT

• Infosys Technologies became the first Indian company to be listed in the prestigious top 100 companies of NASDAQ on March 11.
• For the first time in the country’s history, the Central Government lost a confidence motion by the margin of just one vote. This led to the downfall of the 13-month-old Vajpayee Government.

“I BOWL EVERY DELIVERY WITH THE SAME INTENSITY.” Anil Kumble

Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla stadium was the stage and Anil Kumble the star of the show on February 7 when the leg spinner became the second bowler in the world to take 10 wickets in a Test innings. Famous for his flipper and unorthodox style, the 29-year-old Bangalorean ripped through the famed Pakistani batting line-up, in that memorable Test, after losing the first Test in Chennai. “It happens once in a lifetime.” He admitted. Coach Anshuman Gaekwad vouched for him, “I could see the determination in his eyes. He is a bowler who plans a batsman out instead of waiting for the batsmen to get themselves out.

A Surrender and A Death Sentence


Indian Airlines flight IC-814 was hijacked by five Pakistanis on December 24 from Kathmandu to Delhi. One passenger was killed but others were released on December 31 after India surrendered to the hijackers’ demand and released three terrorists. One of those released was Omar Sheikh, who is still on trial for the murder of Wall street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002





ELSEWHERE…

• NATO launched air strikes against Yugoslavia for refusing to sign a peace treaty.
• Two teenagers opened fire on their teachers and classmates, killing 12 students and a teacher, and then them-selves in the Columbine High School massacre (below).
• A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey, killing more than 17,000.
  In Washington, the first major mobilization of the anti-globalization movement forced the cancellation of the opening ceremonies of the WTO meeting.
  
  Rs 1,549 on average was what each Indian paid as income tax in the year 1999, nearly double the figure of Rs 786 in 1991. The Union Budget that year projected a collection of Rs 48,855 crore as direct taxes.

Courtesy By India Today