Archive · 15 Aug 2026
Political Leadership Chose Not to Cross LoC, Ex-IAF Chief Says
A long time ago, in 1999, there was a war between India and Pakistan called the Kargil War.
During that war, India told its soldiers they were not allowed to cross a special border line called the Line of Control (LoC).
A very important Air Force leader from that time, named Dhanoa, recently explained why.
He said the choice to stay on their own side was made by India's political leaders, not by the military.
Dhanoa explained that what the military does should come from what the country's leaders want.
If the leaders want a fair war that does not grow bigger, the military has to follow that plan.
He also said that people who think the military should make these big decisions alone are mistaken.
His message is that political leaders are in charge of big wartime choices, and the military's job is to follow them.
Ex-IAF Chief Dhanoa said India's decision not to cross the LoC during the 1999 Kargil War was made by the political leadership.
He stated that military objectives flow out of political objectives under the then NDA government.
Dhanoa said that if the political objective is to fight a just war and not escalate it, the military must adapt accordingly.
He called the notion that the military should override political objectives a 'wrong notion.'
The strict order not to cross the LoC was described as one of India's most significant strategic decisions during the war.
- Who
- Former Indian Air Force chief B.S. Dhanoa (Dhanoa), commenting on the decisions of India's then NDA government.
- What
- Dhanoa said India's decision not to cross the Line of Control (LoC) during the 1999 Kargil War was made by the political leadership, and that military objectives flow from political objectives.
- When
- The decision was made during the 1999 Kargil War; the date of Dhanoa's remarks is not specified in the article.
- Where
- India, along the Line of Control (LoC) during the Kargil War.
- Why
- Because the political objective was to fight a just war and not escalate it, and the military had to adapt to that objective.
Political leadership in control
Military override view
Who should decide wartime strategy
Political leadership in control
The political leadership decides, and military objectives must flow from political objectives, even if it means not escalating the war.
Military override view
The narrative that the military should override political objectives is dismissed by Dhanoa as a 'wrong notion.'
- Speaker
- Ex-IAF Chief Dhanoa
- Event
- 1999 Kargil War
- Subject
- India's decision not to cross the Line of Control (LoC)
- Decision-maker
- Political leadership of the then NDA government
- Constraint
- Indian Armed Forces were ordered not to cross the LoC
- Key quote
- Military objectives flow out of the political objectives
- Dismissed narrative
- That the military should override political objectives (called a 'wrong notion')