The Hindu : Front Page : When nuclear war loomed

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Monday, Oct 29, 2007
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When nuclear war loomed

London: Pakistan was preparing to use nuclear missiles against India during the Kargil war, a new book has claimed, citing a conversation between U.S. President Bill Clinton and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif eight years ago.

“When President Clinton met Sharif at Blair House (in July 1999), Clinton asked Sharif if he knew how advanced the threat of nuclear war really was? Did he know, for example that his military was preparing to use nuclear missiles?” the book ‘Deception: Pakistan, the United States and the Global Nuclear Weapons Conspiracy’ says.

Answering Mr. Clinton’s query, Mr. Sharif shook his head implying he was unaware of his military’s moves, investigative journalists Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark claim in their 586-page book.

Warning Mr. Sharif, Mr. Clinton said he had a statement ready for release that would pin all the blame for Kargil on Pakistan if he refused to pull his forces back. After his meeting with Mr. Clinton, Mr. Sharif briefly left the room to seek advice.

When he returned, “he was getting exhausted. He denied that he had ordered the preparation of their missile force, said he was against war but was worried for his life in Pakistan,” the book says, quoting Bruce Riedel of the National Security Council.

“There was a break in the middle of the day: Clinton lying down on the sofa at Blair House while Sharif went to his hotel room for a nap.

“When they reconvened, Clinton placed the prepared statement on the table. Sharif left the room again to read it to his advisers and then returned finally ready to order a volte-face and call for his troops to withdraw back to the line of control,” Mr. Riedel said. “The mood changed in a nanosecond,” he recalled. — PTI

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