@Armstrong I remember you had asked regarding certain specifics of the Kargil conflict, primarily there are two peaks which the IA did not "take back" out of which only point 5353 (often confused with Tiger Hill, contrary to what wikipedia might state it is not in fact Tiger Hill) is of importance.
This particular post was left empty by us since way back in 92 itself since there were other posts right alongside it which were easier to access and provided the same advantages. When the Kargil incursion was beaten back, the PA retained this point but the IA didn't try to take it over with a frontal assault although we did inflict intermittent artillery barrages on it.
The reason is simple and the map below will illustrate the reason.
The point in question lies below (roughly speaking) to point 5354 right on the LOC itself, Op Vijay and Op Safedsagar were initiated to take back the areas shaded in blue, which lie clearly within Indian territory, and ergo the IA was willing to suffer attrition for these peaks and points. On the other hand the point in question lies right on the LOC, was abandoned in 92, its occupation at worse provides a vantage point but no loss in territory itself.
Our cost-benefit analysis clearly established that there was no point in continuing to assault that point since the territory under occupation had already been recovered.
Mind you, right at the LOC the loss of a single post or point is not considered to be a casus belli although it might lead to extremely localized artillery and small arms action which may vitiate the situation on the LOC and might even escalate. When we took Marpola post the PA didn't respond with an all out division level movement- the PA isn't mounting a full assault on it even today- not because they cannot but because its not worth it. Neither would we have if the PA's occupation had been limited to a peak or two right on the LOC but as I pointed out above we were fighting to evict occupying forces from the "blue shaded" areas.
We took back the territory that is represented here back up to the LOC- that was cause enough for the GOI to halt hostilities.
That's the answer to why the IA had left two points in the PA's possession, ideally we wouldn't want it to be that way but its not worth the cost of a frontal assault.
