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Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif has accused President Pervez Musharraf of "backstabbing" him by launching the Kargil conflict against India in 1999 and wants a commission to probe how he misled the nation.
Sharif also admitted that he had committed a "blunder" by appointing Musharraf army chief superseding many other generals senior to him.
In an interview with India Today, published in the magazine's latest issue, Sharif said it was Musharraf, then army chief, who had asked him to negotiate a settlement of the conflict with then US president Bill Clinton.
The interview took place at a palace in Jeddah, where Sharif has been living in exile reportedly under an un-stated agreement between the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and Musharraf.
"Initially when the war started Musharraf said it was the mujahideen that was fighting in Kashmir. I thought since mujahideen keep fighting it is not a new phenomenon.”
"Later on I got a call from (then Indian prime minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayee saab, saying 'Nawaz saab, ye kya ho raha hai (what is going on)?"
Sharif said Vajpayee had told him
that the Pakistan army was fighting against the Indian Army and he assured
Vajpayee that he would investigate it.
Sharif said Musharraf had told him that it was the mujahideen that was fighting in Kargil and that the Pakistan Army had not been involved.
Sharif described the Kargil misadventure as a "very confused, ill-planned and ill- executed affair."
"It was Mr. Musharaf who behaved irresponsibly and it was he who planned the whole affair,"
"If Mr. Vajpayee says that Mr. Sharif had stabbed me in the back, I think, he is absolutely right. Because he visited Pakistan in February and in May we were attacking Indian forces in Kargil, which was absolutely wrong.”
"I hold Mr. Musharraf responsible for this. I can only tell Mr. Vajpayee that I did not know that I was being stabbed in the back by my own general."
Sharif said Vajpayee told him once that there was great pressure on him to bring out Indian troops in other sectors. "I thought this matter might become serious and this might be the beginning of an open war between Pakistan and India.”
"Then we were looking for an honourable way to end the battle. Mr. Musharraf felt we should bring Mr. Clinton into the matter.”
"He pushed me to meet him. Mr. Musharraf said: 'why don't you meet Clinton. Why don't you ask him to bring about a settlement?'"
"Did you think that there was a threat of a nuclear war with the possibility of a larger battle looming?" the interviewer, India Today managing editor Raj Chengappa, asked Sharif.
Answer: "I was not the only one who feared it. Mr. Clinton also expressed these fears candidly when I met him. 'Nawaz Sharif, what have you done? This could lead to a nuclear conflict between the two countries and the consequences and implications would be catastrophic for both countries.'
"Mr. Clinton also said that the war was started by Pakistan. To that, unfortunately, we had no answer," Sharif added.
He blamed Musharraf and three other generals -- Mohammed Aziz, Chief of General Staff; Mehmood Ahmed, Commander of 10th Corps, Rawalpindi; and Javed Hasan, general officer commanding, Force Commander Northern Area -- for the conflict.
"The rest of the army was not aware of it," he said.
According to Sharif, Pakistan's battlefield casualties in the conflict was more than those combined of the 1965 and 1971 wars. "Some say 2,700 and other say it was more. It was high on both sides."
He was asked why he had appointed Musharraf army chief superseding so many other generals. "Didn't you assess his true character?"
"Unfortunately, it was not written
on his face for me to read. Otherwise I would not have made such a blunder."
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