Who was the PM during Kargil war

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister of India during the Kargil War, which took place from May to July 1999. Vajpayee had assumed office as Prime Minister in March 1998, leading a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government. The Kargil conflict began when Pakistani soldiers and militants infiltrated across the Line of Control (LoC) into the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir, occupying strategic mountain positions on the Indian side of the border. The intrusion was discovered in early May 1999, leading to a military confrontation that lasted approximately two months as Indian forces worked to reclaim the occupied territories.

Vajpayee's handling of the Kargil War is considered one of the defining moments of his premiership. He demonstrated firm resolve in directing the military response while simultaneously engaging international diplomatic channels to isolate Pakistan and pressure them to withdraw. The conflict was particularly challenging because it occurred just months after Vajpayee had taken a historic bus journey to Lahore to meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a peace initiative, making Pakistan's infiltration seem like a betrayal of the peace process. Despite the military confrontation, Vajpayee kept the conflict limited to the Kargil sector and did not allow it to escalate into a full-scale war. The successful military operation, named Operation Vijay, concluded with Indian forces reclaiming all occupied territories by late July 1999, though it came at the cost of significant casualties on both sides. Vajpayee's leadership during this crisis strengthened his political standing and is remembered as an example of decisive yet measured response to aggression.