Nawaz Sharif ‘admits to Pak violating 1999 Lahore Declaration signed with India, says ‘It was our fault’

In a surprising admission from Pakistan, country’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has admitted to Islamabad violating the 1999 Lahore Declaration signed with India.

The Lahore Declaration, signed on Feb 21, 1999 by Sharif and then-Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was aimed at promoting peace and security between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. However, just a few months later, Pakistani forces under the command of General Parvez Musharraf intruded into the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the Kargil War with India.

Sharif, referring to Gen Parvez Musharraf’s Kargil failure, said, “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.”

The former prime minister was speaking at a meeting of the PML-N general council that elected him president of the ruling party.

Secret infiltration of forces in the Kargil district was undertaken by Pak forces under the orders of Musharraf in March 1999. 

Once Indian intelligence discovered the infiltration plans, a full-scale war had erupted between the two countries that India subsequently won. 

Sharif’s statement comes as Pakistan marks the 26th anniversary of its first nuclear tests. He also revealed that then-US President Bill Clinton had offered Pakistan $5 billion to stop the nuclear tests, but he refused to do so.

He also took a jibe at former prime minister Imran Khan, saying,  “Had (former prime minister) Imran Khan-like person been in my seat he would have accepted Clinton's offer.”