Nawaz Sharif admits Pakistan's violation of 1999 Peace Agreement with India

On Tuesday, Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif admitted that Islamabad had violated an agreement with India in 1999, referring to the Kargil War. This revelation came during a meeting of the PML-N general council, which re-elected Sharif as the party president six years after his disqualification by the Supreme Court.

The agreement Sharif mentioned was the "Lahore Declaration," signed on February 21, 1999, between him and then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This declaration aimed to foster peace and stability between the two nations. However, a few months later, Pakistani troops infiltrated the Kargil district in Jammu and Kashmir, triggering the Kargil War. Sharif reflected on this event, saying, "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."

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Political jabs and nuclear tests

During the meeting, Sharif also highlighted his role in Pakistan’s nuclear tests despite pressure from the United States. He criticized former Prime Minister Imran Khan, implying that Khan would have succumbed to US pressure. "President Bill Clinton had offered Pakistan USD 5 billion to stop it from carrying out nuclear tests, but I refused. Had Imran Khan been in my place, he would have accepted Clinton's offer," Sharif stated. His comments coincided with Pakistan marking the 26th anniversary of its first nuclear tests.

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Sharif further accused former ISI chief Gen Zahirul Islam of conspiring to topple his government in 2017 to bring Imran Khan to power. "I ask Imran not to blame us for being patronized by the army and tell whether Gen Islam had talked about bringing PTI into power," Sharif said. He also criticized former Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar for removing him from office in 2017 on what he called a false case.

Sharif's remarks have reignited discussions about the political and military dynamics in Pakistan, especially regarding the controversial events of 1999 and his ousting in 2017.