Tashi Namgyal says he saw a few men breaking rocks and clearing the snow on the mountain, but it was the absence of any footsteps on the Indian side that sent alarm bells ringing. Namgyal forgot all about his yak and rushed back to inform the Indian Army outpost.

This 7.1-km-long twin-tube tunnel, which includes cross passages every 500 meters, is a significant strategic project for the BJP government's border area development plans, particularly in view of ongoing tensions with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The prime minister will also carry out the first blast of the Shinkun La Tunnel Project virtually.

To mark the 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, former Lieutenant Colonel Barsha Rai completed an arduous 160-kilometre run from Srinagar to Drass.