The Kargil incursion was a far bigger disaster for Pakistan than the war that led to the creation of Bangladesh and damaged the country's Kashmir cause, a former Pakistan army general has said.
Retired General Ali Kuli Khan Khattak, who quit the army after the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif appointed Musharraf as army chief in 1998 superseding him, said Kargil was flawed in terms of its conception, tactical planning and execution.
"It was an unprofessional decision by someone who has served in the Pakistan Army for 40 years. As the architect of Kargil, he must answer critical questions for sacrificing so many soldiers. I am sure Kargil would continue to haunt him for the rest of his life," he said, reacting to claims by Musharraf in his book In the line of fire that Kargil was a successful operation.
He also challenged Musharraf's assertion that Kargil had revived the Kashmir issue. "I would say Kargil has damaged the Kashmir cause. It was a disaster bigger than the East Pakistan tragedy," he said, referring to the 1971 war that led to the creation of Bangladesh.
"At that time, Pakistan at least had some friends but with Kargil, we were friendless. There was no way we could defend this tactless move," he said in an interview to The News.
Describing Musharraf as 'Mr General U-turn', Khattak said his seven-year rule has been characterised by U-turns on policy matters. "This president cannot hold on to anything. He is impulsive. He took decisions on Kargil, Waziristan, Balochistan and a host of other issues and then backtracked on most of them."