Claim

At the very time of Vajpayee's 1999 Lahore bus diplomacy, the Pakistani army was infiltrating the Kargil heights, leading to the Kargil war in which more than 500 people died on the Indian side.

“ठीक उसी समय पाकिस्तानी सेना कारगिल हाइट्स में घुसपैठ कर रही थी और कारगिल युद्ध हुआ था। भारतीय पक्ष में 500 से अधिक लोगों की मौत हुई थी।”

Rationale

Vajpayee's Lahore bus diplomacy culminated in the Lahore Declaration on 21 February 1999. Pakistani army infiltration into the Kargil heights (Operation Badr) was underway during that same period — troops began occupying vantage points across the LoC in February 1999 — and was detected by India in early May 1999, triggering the Kargil War (May–July 1999). India's official toll was 527 soldiers killed, consistent with the claim of 'more than 500' Indian deaths. Both the timing overlap and the casualty figure are supported by the historical record.

Evidence

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kargil_War Documents that Pakistani troops (Northern Light Infantry and SSG) began occupying posts on the Indian side of the LoC in February 1999, concurrent with the Lahore Declaration signed 21 February 1999, and records India's official casualty figure of 527 killed and 1,363 wounded. ✓ reachable · archived
• https://www.britannica.com/event/Kargil-War Confirms Pakistani forces infiltrated the Kargil heights in early 1999 shortly after the Lahore summit, leading to the May–July 1999 Kargil War. ✗ unreachable · HTTP 403
• https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/pakistans-historic-admission-pakistan-army-chief-admits-active-role-for-first-time-in-1999-kargil-war-against-india-444924-2024-09-07 Pakistan's own army chief publicly admitted in September 2024 the Pakistani Army's active role in the 1999 Kargil War, corroborating that the infiltration was a military operation, not just militants. ✓ reachable · archived