Nawaz Sharif Admits Pakistan Breached 1999 Lahore Declaration With India

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Shar has admitted that the country violated the 1999 Lahore Declaration with India. This peace agreement was signed by Sharif and then Indian Prime Minister Atal Biharipayee.

Indirectly to the Kargil conflict initiated by General Pervez Musharraf, Sharif stated, "It was our fault." On May 28, 1998, Pakistan conducted five nuclear tests. Following this, Vajpayee visited Pakistan, and both leaders signed the Lahore Declaration on February 21, 1999. This agreement aimed to maintain peace and security and promote people-to-people contact.

However, Pakistani forces infiltrated the Kargil district in Jammu and Kashmir just months later, leading to the Kargil War. The conflict began in March 1999, when Musharraf, then a four-star General, ordered the secret infiltration of forces into Ladakh. A full-scale war erupted after New Delhi discovered the infiltration, and India emerged victorious while Sharif was Prime Minister.

A portion of Nawaz Sharif's speech, broadcast by Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV), has gained traction on social media. As Pakistan marked the 26th anniversary of its first nuclear test, Sharif revealed, "President Bill Clinton had offered Pakistan USD 5 billion to halt the nuclear tests, but I refused. Had Imran Khan been in my position, he would have accepted Clinton's offer."

Sharif also asserted that the case leading to his removal as Prime Minister in 2017 was false and orchestrated by Pakistan's spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to bring former Prime Minister Imran Khan to power. Addressing the Pakistan Muslim League (N) general council meeting, he urged Imran Khan not to accuse them of being patronised by the army. Sharif asked, "Did former ISI chief Gen Zahirul Islam talk about bringing PTI into power?"

Sharif also mentioned receiving a message from the ISI chief in 2014, asking him to resign from office. "When I refused, he threatened to make an example of me," Sharif said. On Tuesday, Sharif was re-elected unopposed as the President of the ruling PML-N party. This comes six years after he was forced to quit the post following a Supreme Court ruling related to the Panama Papers case.