BOMBAY, 25 September 2006 — In a startling disclosure, the former defense minister in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government, George Fernandes, said the Indian government had prior information of an attack on Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Fernandes made this sensational revelation at a seminar, “Terrorism in Kashmir”, in Bombay on Saturday.
The former defense minister said information about the attack on Musharraf was immediately relayed by India to Pakistan. Two days after the information had been passed onto Pakistan, there was an attack on the president. There have been several attempts on the life of Musharraf, but Fernandes did not say which one he was referring to.
The BJP-led government made special efforts to ensure peaceful and cordial relations between India and Pakistan. It is due to that policy that relations between the two countries have improved today, Fernandes claimed, and added that the present Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government was trying to create differences between Muslims and Hindus.
“Secular and democratic political parties in Pakistan are keen today to see the peace process between Indian and Pakistan continue, and are against the dictatorship in Pakistan. But the present federal government in India is not interested in tackling terrorism and is also not serious about taking note of the situation in Pakistan,” Fernandes said.
