The former prime minister was of the opinion that Nawaz Sharif had been misled by the Pakistani army led by General Pervez Musharraf into the conflict, says the new book on Vajpayee’s tenure at the forefront of affairs in India.
Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif spoke by phone at least four or five times during the course of the Kargil war, with the former believing that Sharif had been misled by the Pakistanis. army led by General Pervez Musharraf in the conflict.
A new book on the late Prime Minister’s tenure at the helm of affairs in India, titled “Vajpayee: The Years That Changed India” by former bureaucrat Shakti Sinha, who served as Vajpayee’s private secretary for many years, including in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) during the conflict, he goes on to say that communication was maintained after a revealing incident between Mr. Sharif and RK Mishra, former head of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), the man selected for the talks. secondary channel to end the conflict.
“… Sharif’s position was flimsy, and in a later meeting, he indicated to Mishra that they should take a walk in the garden, obviously suspecting that his own house was broken into. When Mishra reported this to Vajpayee, Vajpayee took it as an indication that Sharif was more of a prisoner of circumstance than anything else, ”the book says. “Vajpayee must have spoken with Sharif 4-5 times during the one-and-a-half month period from mid-May to July 4, when the Pakistani prime minister publicly pledged to President Clinton that Pakistan would withdraw its forces to his side of the LdC “, to reserve more states.
One such call came from Srinagar in mid-June, after Vajpayee paid a visit to Kargil. “Upon his arrival in Srinagar, Vajpayee asked me to connect him with Sharif. My little team and I tried, but couldn’t get through. Then one of the local officials present informed us that it was forbidden to dial Pakistan (+92) from Jammu and Kashmir. The telecommunications authorities were told to open the facility for a time, so that the two prime ministers could speak, ”the book says.
A major factor in the withdrawal of Pakistani troops from the LoC, according to the book, was also due to two phone recordings that Arvind Dave, head of Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India’s external intelligence agency, brought to the first Minister Vajpayee. “Arvind Dave, the head of R&AW, presented two telephone recordings between the Pakistani army chief, Pervez Musharraf, and his chief of staff, Lieutenant General Mohammad Aziz. It was clear that the Pakistani army was involved, and the Mujahideen played a minor role, if they had any, ”the book says. The tapes were shared with the media later, but were also smuggled into Pakistan for Mr. Sharif via diplomatic route together with diplomat Vivek Katju and back channel liaison person RK Mishra.
The book covers Vajpayee’s premiere and the eventful years it covered from the insider’s perspective and is full of such hitherto unknown bonuses.
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