LONDON – Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif has sparked afirestorm at home and in India after suggesting Pakistani militants werebehind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, with the National Security Council slamminghis remarks on Monday, Reports AFP.
The former premier approached what is seen as a red line in the country bytouching on criticism of Pakistan’s armed forces, especially their allegeduse of proxies in India, in the interview with Dawn newspaper publishedover the weekend.
“Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should weallow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it tome. Why can’t we complete the trial?” Sharif told Pakistan’s leadingEnglish daily, referring to stalled court cases against several suspects.
The Mumbai attacks left 166 people dead and brought India and Pakistan tothe brink of war.
The carnage played out on live television around the world as commandosbattled the heavily armed gunmen, who over three days detonated explosivesand gunned down civilians across the port city.
Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba stands accused ofmasterminding the attacks. India has long said there is evidence that”official agencies” in Pakistan were involved but Islamabad denies thecharge.
Sharif’s interview ignited controversy on both sides of the border, withPakistani politicians deriding his remarks as unpatriotic while Indianmedia portrayed the interview as an admission of Pakistan’s role in theattacks.
Following its publication, Pakistan’s powerful army announced the meetingof the National Security Council — which consists of top military brassand key cabinet ministers — to discuss Sharif’s comments.
“The participants unanimously rejected the allegations and condemned thefallacious assertions,” said the council.
Hours after the council’s meeting, Sharif doubled down on his position,saying Pakistan was being isolated internationally due to its reputation.
“I am being labelled as a traitor because I care for Pakistan. I saidPakistan is being internationally isolated and I said so because I feltit,” Sharif told thousands of supporters at a rally in the northwesterndisrict of Buner.
Since being ousted by the Supreme Court last July, Sharif and hissupporters have repeatedly suggested they are the victims of a conspiracydriven by the military and the courts to damage their party.
Pakistan has long been accused of playing a “double game” by supportingmilitant groups for its own strategic ends, particularly inIndia-controlled Kashmir and Afghanistan.
Sharif’s comments have put more pressure on the powerful military, which isalso grappling with a growing grassroots movement out of the tribal regionon the border with Afghanistan. Its leaders accuse the armed forces ofsupporting the Afghan Taliban.