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India, Pak came close to N-exchange during Kargil: British minister

British Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Office Peter Hain said Pakistan and India came very close to a nuclear exchange over Kashmir during the Kargil clashes, and that Kashmir remains a frightening flash-point for a nuclear war even today.

He hinted at possible satellite photographic evidence that one side or both were preparing weapon systems, known to be nuclear-capable, Hain told The Times of London.

Britain was aware that the two countries had almost come to the brink of a nuclear war, he said.

"We know the two countries came very close to a nuclear exchange over it," he said in his interview but did not provide any details.

The paper said the near-nuclear exchange remained a key issue for the foreign office in deliberations on how to deal with the military regime in Pakistan. The foreign office was also concerned because there was also evidence that General Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in October, was personally involved in the decision to send mercenaries into Kargil.

General Musharraf is known to have been angry with Nawaz Sharief, the then Pakistani prime minister, after he ordered the withdrawal of the infiltrators from Kashmir, the paper said.

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