Years after the signing of the 1999 Lahore agreement between India and Pakistan, former Pakistan’s prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for the first time admitted, that it was Islamabad who violated the agreement, signed by him and ex-prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Tuesday.
Addressing the meeting of PML-N general council meeting, sharif admitted, that after the testing of nuclear weapons by Pakistan on May 28, 1998, former PM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Pakistan and signed an agreement with them. But later, they violated the agreement. Thus, referencing the Kargil War.
“On May 28, 1998, Pakistan carried out five nuclear tests. After that Vajpayee Saheb came here and agreed with us. But we violated that agreement…it was our fault.” said Nawaz Sharif, after becoming the party’s president.
Later documenting his journey, sharif claimed, that US President Bill Clinton offered Pakistan USD 5 billion, to stop nuclear tests. In response, he refused.
Attacking former PM Imran Khan, he also claimed, that if somebody like Khan had been in his stead, he would have gladly accepted the offer.
“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,” said Sharif on the day of the 26th anniversary of their first nuclear test.
The 74-year-old Nawaz Sharif recounted vivid memories of the day he was ousted from the Prime Minister’s office in 2017, citing an alleged false case imposed by Pakistan’s Chief Justice Saqib Nisar.
In contrast, he claimed that all the cases against Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf founder were true.
Furthermore, he elaborated on the crucial role played by former ISI chief Gen Zahirul Islam in toppling his government in 2017 to bring Imran Khan into power.
He then directed a question to Khan, challenging him to deny, even once, that he wasn’t launched by ISI. Additionally, Sharif asserted that Imran Khan used to be subservient to the military’s leadership.
“I ask Imran not to blame us (of being patronized by the army) and tell whether Gen Islam had talked about bringing the PTI into power.” said Nawaz Sharif.
The three-time prime minister, also alleged, that general Islam threatened to make example out of him, if he did not resign from office in 2014.
Meanwhile, praising his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif, he said, that his brother stood by him irrespective of the circumstances.
“Efforts were made to create differences between us, but Shehbaz remained loyal to me. Even Shehbaz was asked to become PM in the past and leave me, but he declined.” said sharif.
On February 21, 1999, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of India and Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan, in a historic summit, signed an agreement known as the Lahore Agreement.
This agreement provided the framework for maintaining peaceful relations between both countries. It was agreed that all issues, including that of Jammu and Kashmir, would be resolved through peaceful means.
Besides, New Delhi and Islamabad, also agreed for immediate steps, in reducing the accidental and unauthorized use of nuclear weapons. Followed by agreement over several confidence-building measures.
But just after the declaration, the pakistani army in disguise of kashmiri terrorists infiltrated Indian side and took Indian army’s winter vacated posts. Their operation name was “Operation Badr”.
The aim of the operation was to cut off the link between Kashmir and Ladakh to alienate Indian army on Siachen glacier. Thus, taking India to Negotiation table regarding Kashmir issue and also violating the agreement.
After detection of infiltration, Indian forces got ready to push back pakistani army. Thus, leading to start of Operation Vijay or popular called Kargil war.
