Pakistan's Former PM Nawaz Sharif Admits to Violating 1999 Agreement with India

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif admitted on Tuesday that Islamabad 'violated' an agreement with India in 1999. Sharif revealed this information during a meeting of the PML-N general council, where he became the party's president, six years after being disqualified by the country's Supreme Court.

Sharif explained that on May 28, 1998, Pakistan conducted five nuclear tests. Following this, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then-Prime Minister of India, visited Pakistan and reached an agreement with them. However, Sharif admitted that Pakistan violated this agreement which was known as the "Lahore Declaration." This agreement was meant to promote peace and stability between India and Pakistan, but tensions escalated when Pakistani troops infiltrated the Kargil district in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the Kargil War.

At the PML-N general council meeting, Sharif shared that he faced pressure from the United States but chose to conduct nuclear tests despite President Bill Clinton offering Pakistan USD 5 billion to refrain from doing so. Sharif indirectly criticized Imran Khan, suggesting that had Khan been in his position, he might have accepted Clinton's offer.

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Sharif also accused former ISI chief Gen Zahirul Islam of playing a role in his government's downfall in 2017 to pave the way for Imran Khan to come to power. He called on Khan not to accuse him of being influenced by the military and questioned if Gen Islam had discussed bringing the PTI into power. Additionally, Sharif alleged that the former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Saqib Nisar, wrongfully removed him from the Prime Minister's office in 2017.

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