Posted by OFBJP (OFBJP@OFBJP.Org)
The Hindustan Times
June 15, 2000
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Overseas Friends of the BJP (USA) ........... Voice: (718) 271-0453 54-15, 108th St. ............................ Fax: (718) 271-1906 Corona, NY 11368............................ WWW:http://www.ofbjp.org BJP's Website: http://www.bjp.org Title: Sharif's little secrets: Embarrassment in store for Musharraf Autor: Editorial Publication: The Hindustan Times Date: June 15, 2000 A deposed Prime Minister can be a thorn in the flesh for any dictator. It is an unwritten rule of all autocracies, therefore, that the person ousted in a coup is eliminated as soon as possible. Pakistan's previous dictator, Zia-ul-Haq, had lost no time in ensuring Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's removal from the scene through what has been widely regarded as a judicial execution. The reprieve, however, which the judiciary has given to Nawaz Sharif from the death penalty sought by the Pervez Musharraf Government is proving embarrassing to the rulers in Islamabad. Mr Sharif's latest disclosures, for instance, on the Kargil conflict throw an entirely new light on the border skirmish and may influence India's decision to revive its dialogue with Pakistan. Although Islamabad has berated Mr Sharif for saying that those who started the Kargil conflict are now "begging" to India for talks, the fact remains that what he has revealed is quite startling. For instance, he has maintained that he would have stopped Mr Vajpayee's Lahore visit in February 1999 had he known that the Pakistan army had already begun its incursion into Kargil. But it was not until May that he became aware about the crossing of the LoC. The rest is, of course, history, for it is known that the Pakistani withdrawal under American pressure after Mr Sharif's Washington visit in July led to his fall. But what is new is the information that "whole units" of Pakistan's Northern Light Infantry were "wiped out" in the war, a disaster which may have also persuaded Islamabad to call off its Kargil misadventure. Since the official Pakistani spokesmen are accusing Mr Sharif of being economical with the truth, the real events will not be easy to know. But Mr Sharif's disclosures do confirm Benazir Bhutto's earlier claim that, as Prime Minister, she was not always aware of what the army was up to. It is no secret, of course, that the army has held a special position in Pakistan ever since Ayub Khan's time. From this standpoint, Mr Sharif's ouster was always on the cards because he was proving to be a tough Prime Minister who had not hesitated to dismiss one army chief, General Jehangir Karamat, and had issued orders for General Musharraf's removal as well. So far as India is concerned, what is of interest in the latest revelations is that the Pakistan army had no time for the Lahore process and was more keen on stepping up its war effort in Kashmir. It also had no compunctions about keeping its own Prime Minister in the dark. How reliable will such an organisation be as a partner in a dialogue for peace?
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