The Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAK LI) is an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiment of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the Land warfare, land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Arm ...

. The regimental center is in

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its ...

's Airport Complex at Awantipora with a winter setup near Jammu. Its regimental insignia consists of a pair of crossed rifles. The regiment mostly consists of volunteers from the state of Jammu & Kashmir and ethnic groups from the state. The Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry is considered to be one of the most decorated regiment of the Indian army having won 1

Param Veer Chakra The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. Param Vir Chakra translates as the "Wheel of the Ultimate Brave", and the award is granted for "most conspicu ...

and 3

Ashok Chakra Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

. Naib Subedar

Chuni Lal Naib Subedar Chuni Lal AC, VrC, SM was an Indian Army soldier of 8th battalion. The Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (8 JAK LI). He was born in Bhaderwah, and basically from Gandhari Paddar and lived in Bhara village with parents Shanker Dass ...

of the 8th battalion Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry is one of the most decorated personnel of the Indian Army. Official Website of Indian Army
Indianarmy.nic.in. Retrieved on 2011-03-21.

History

In response to the

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing ...

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

in 1947, local militias were raised for specific sectors, such as

Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...

Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former ...

, Nubra, etc. The militias were a paramilitary force under the Indian

Ministry of Home Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

and operated on the Line of Control. Following the

Sino-Indian War of 1962 The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Ti ...

, in 1963 the 7th and 14th Battalions of the J&K Militia were spun off to form the

Ladakh Scouts The Ladakh Scouts is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, nicknamed the "Snow Warriors" or "Snow Leopards". The regiment specialises in mountain warfare, and its primary role is to guard India's borders in the high altitudes of the Unio ...

. The militias conducted themselves with great distinction during the

Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

and earned 3 battle honours during the

Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani Instrument of Surrender, Pakistani ...

. The troopers of the force felt strongly that they wanted the dignity and privileges of a regular army unit, especially keeping in mind their performance and sacrifice in the recent wars. Keeping this in mind, the then head of the J&K Militia,

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. ...

Lekhraj Singh Puar of the

Garhwal Rifles The Garhwal Rifles, formerly known as the Royal Garhwal Rifles, are an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1887 as the 39th (Garhwal) Regiment of the Bengal Army. It then became part of the British Indian Army, and a ...

, who was on deputation to the Ministry of Home Affairs from the Indian Army, prepared and presented plans to the

for conversion of the militia into regular unit on his own initiative. These efforts bore fruit, and in 1972, the J&K Militia was converted to a full-fledged Army regiment as the Jammu and Kashmir Militia under the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

. Brigadier Puar went on to become the first Colonel of the Regiment. In 1976, the regiment was renamed as the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry.

Engagements

Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAK LI) soldier

The JAK LI has served with honour in numerous theaters.

Siachen Conflict

In 1984, units of the JAK LI were deployed to the

Siachen Glacier The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas at about , just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends. At long, it is the longest glacier in the Kara ...

as part of

Operation Meghdoot Operation Meghdoot ( "Operation Cloud Messenger" after a famous Sanskrit poem by Kalidasa) was the codename for the Indian Armed Forces' operation to seize control of the Siachen Glacier in Kashmir, precipitating the Siachen conflict. E ...

. The 8th battalion (8 JAK LI) earned great honour by capturing a Pakistani post at 21,000 feet on the Siachen Glacier in 1987. Naib Subedar Bana Singh earned the

Param Vir Chakra The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. Param Vir Chakra translates as the "Wheel of the Ultimate Brave", and the award is granted for "most conspicu ...

for the regiment in this battle. He is the first and so far only recipient of the PVC for the regiment. Major (later Brigadier) V.S. Minhas and 2Lt. Rajiv Pande won a

Vir Chakra Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋ iː ɾ a tʃ a kɾa) is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy on the battlefield and is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards a ...

for gallantry displayed during the same engagement.

IPKF and Sri Lanka

In 1987, JAK LI units were deployed to

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

as part of

Operation Pawan Operation Pawan ( hi, कार्यवाही पवन ''Kãryvãhi Pavan'', lit. "Operation Wind") was the code name assigned to the operation by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to take control of Jaffna from the Liberation Tigers o ...

UN Peacekeeping in Somalia

In 1992–93, the 2nd battalion was deployed as a part of

UNOSOM II United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II) was the second phase of the United Nations intervention in Somalia and took place from March 1993 until March 1995, following the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991. UNOSOM II carried on ...

, the UN Peacekeeping Mission in

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...

Kargil War

In 1999, JAK LI earned honours in the

Kargil War The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referre ...

. The Chief of Army Staff made a special instant award of "Unit Citation" to the 12th battalion for their exceptionally gallant and sterling performance during the battles of Point 5203 on the night of 10/11 June 1999 and Point 4812 on the night of 30 June/1 July 1999 in

Batalik Batalik is a town in Ladakh, India, located on the upper reaches of the Indus river. It was a focal point in the Kargil War because of its strategic location between Kargil, Leh and Baltistan. In 1999, the Kargil war was fought in this region. ...

. The overall performance of the battalion during Operation Vijay was exceptional and marked with exemplary valour and grit in the face of the enemy.

Units

*1st Battalion *2nd Battalion *3rd Battalion *4th Battalion *5th Battalion (Ashok Chakra Paltan) *6th Battalion *8th Battalion (Param Vir Chakra Paltan) (Ashok Chakra Paltan) *9th Battalion *10th Battalion *11th Battalion *12th Battalion *13th Battalion *15th Battalion *16th Battalion *17th Battalion Others: *161 Infantry Battalion (TA) (H&H) *162 Infantry Battalion (TA) (H&H) (Ashok Chakra Paltan) *7th Battalion is now 1st Battalion,

*14th Battalion is now 2nd Battalion, Ladakh Scouts

Distinctions

The President of India, Shri K R Narayanan presenting the colors to JAKLI Regiment at Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir on Oct 09, 1998

Battle Honours

* Laleali, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971WAR MEMORIAL AT LALEALI : Honey Vinay blogs on sulekha, Current Affairs blogs, Honey Vinay blog from india
Vinayk.sulekha.com (2007-04-25). Retrieved on 2011-03-21. * Picquet 707, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 * Shingo River Valley, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 * Gutrian, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 * Batalik, Indo-Pak War of 1999

Gallantry Awards

The following personnel of the JAK LI, have received the highest honors for gallantry: * Colonel Manoram Yadav -

Sena Medal The Sena Medal is awarded to members of the Indian army, of all ranks, "for such individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage as have special significance for the Army." Awards may be made posthumously and a bar is authorized for s ...

, 17 JAKLI * Major Hitesh Kumar Dhankhar -

(Gallantry), 10 JAK LI * Captain Shashi Kant Sharma -

(Gallantry) (posthumous), 12 JAK LI,

* Naib Subedar Bana Singh -

, 8 JAK LI, Operation Meghdoot * Lieutenant Triveni Singh -

Ashoka Chakra Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

(posthumous), 5 JAK LI * Captain

Keishing Clifford Nongrum Captain Keishing Clifford Nongrum, MVC (7 March 1975 – 1 July 1999) was an Indian Army officer of 12 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry. He was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second-highest gallantry award, for exemplary v ...

Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the B ...

(posthumous), 12 JAK LI,

Official Website of Indian Army
Indianarmy.nic.in. Retrieved on 2011-03-21. * Capt Amol Kalia - Vir Chakra (posthumous), 12 JAK LI, Kargil War * Naib Subedar

(posthumous),

, Sena Medal (Gallantry) * Brigadier Varinder Singh Minhas -

, 12 JAK LI * Second Lieutenant. Rajiv Pande -

* Major Rohit Sharma -

Shaurya Chakra The Shaurya Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice while not engaged in direct action with the enemy. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, sometimes posthumously ...

(posthumous), 8 JAK LI, * Lance Naik

Nazir Ahmad Wani Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, AC, SM & Bar was an Indian soldier in the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry of the Indian Army. He was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime military decoration, in January 2019. He wa ...

(posthumous),

and Bar, 162 INF BN (TA) JAK LI

President's Standard

The President , Mr K. R. Narayanan, presented the colours to the regiment at its regimental centre on 9 October 1998.

References

{{Indian Army Infantry Regiments Infantry regiments of the Indian Army from 1947 Military units and formations established in 1976