NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTION 99
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

'Sharief planned to sack Musharraf after Kargil'

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's historic visit to Lahore last year was at the heart of the rift between deposed Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharief and Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf, who is now the chief executive, according to Baluchistan National Party leader Mir Hasil Bizenjo.

In an interview to The Friday Times, Bizenjo, a member of the defunct national assembly, said the Kargil incursion was made to sabotage the peace process initiated by Vajpayee's visit.

He also said that Sharief had made up his mind to dismiss General Musharraf.

Bizenjo said he was present in the prime minister's house when then foreign minister Sartaj Aziz rushed in to inform Sharief that General Musharraf refused to welcome the Indian prime minister at the border.

This created an awkward situation, as Sharief himself had invited Vajpayee to pay an official visit to Lahore and protocol demanded that all three service chiefs be present to receive him.

A new programme was then chalked out. If Sharief had taken General Musharraf in confidence before finalising Vajpayee's visit, the situation would have been much different, Bizenjo said.

Sharief had been very angry with the general because of his behaviour. He considered it an insult. The prime minister also felt that different agencies were used to stage demonstrations against Vajpayee's visit and that the Jamaat-e-islami was fully exploited for it, he added.

He said General Musharraf was conspicuous by his absence at the banquet that Sharief hosted in the Lahore fort to honour Vajpayee. However, to reduce tension General Musharraf later reached the governor's house, Bizenjo added.

Sharief, according to Bizenjo, was very satisfied with Vajpayee's visit and was confident of finding a solution to the Kashmir imbroglio.

Sharief feels that the Kargil issue was created to sabotage the Lahore declaration, claimed Bizenjo. Efforts made to lessen the differences between the prime minister and the general proved futile, with the army chief insisting on the withdrawal of the Lahore declaration and Sharief sticking to his guns, he added.

Before leaving for Washington to meet United States President Bill Clinton, Sharief had made up his mind to withdraw from Kargil, Bizenjo said.

The deposed prime minister was also unhappy with General Musharraf when he had retired the Quetta Corps commander Lieutenant General Tariq Pervez, who reportedly had met Sharief without the consent of the army chief, Bizenjo added.

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report