Kargil : From Surprise To Victory About the Author General V.P. Malik was the Chief of the Army Staff (India) from 1 October 1997 to 30 September 2000. Concurrently, he was chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, from 1 January 1999 to 30 September 2000. in both these posts, he played a vital role in planning, coordinating and overseeing the military operations that enabled India to evict the Pakistani intruders in Kargil and thus turn the tables on Pakistan. A graduate from the Defence Services Staff College and Madras University, General Malik is an alumnus of the National Defence College, New Delhi. He has been a member of India's National Security Advisory Board and has delivered lectures in many prestigious civil and military institutions in India and abroad. Currently, he heads the Institute of Security Studies in the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.