Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif admitted on Tuesday that Islamabad had violated an agreement with India in 1999. This revelation occurred during a meeting of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) general council, where Sharif reassumed the presidency of the ruling party six years after his disqualification by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
“On May 28, 1998, Pakistan carried out five nuclear tests. After that Vajpayee Saheb came here and made an agreement with us. But we violated that agreement…it was our fault,” Sharif stated.
Sharif was referring to the “Lahore Declaration,” an agreement signed on February 21, 1999, by him and then-Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, aiming to foster peace and stability between India and Pakistan. However, soon after the signing, Pakistani troops infiltrated the Kargil district in Jammu and Kashmir, sparking the Kargil War.
During the PML-N general council meeting, Sharif also addressed his decision to conduct nuclear tests despite facing pressure from the United States. He subtly criticized former Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying, “President Bill Clinton had offered Pakistan USD 5 billion to stop it from carrying out nuclear tests but I refused. Had (former prime minister) Imran Khan like a person been on my seat he would have accepted Clinton’s offer.” Sharif’s comments came on the day Pakistan marked the 26th anniversary of its first nuclear tests.
Sharif further alleged that former ISI chief General Zahirul Islam played a role in orchestrating the downfall of his government in 2017 to facilitate Imran Khan’s rise to power. He challenged Khan, saying, “I ask Imran not to blame us (of being patronised by the army) and tell whether Gen Islam had talked about bringing the PTI into power,” adding that Khan would “sit at the feet of the military establishment.”
Additionally, Sharif accused former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Saqib Nisar, of ousting him from the Prime Minister’s office in 2017 on a false case.
These disclosures and accusations have stirred significant political discourse in Pakistan, reflecting ongoing tensions and rivalries within the country’s political landscape.
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