ISLAMABAD: An ill-conceived and badly executed push in Kargil in May-July 1999 almost brought South Asia to the brink of nuclear war. It was a very foolish military conflict on the part of Pakistan's few generals who just never cared to analyze the regional and international implications of this conflict. This act of military adventurism by a group of generals closely associated with then Chief of Army Staff Gen. Pervez Musharraf without informing then Premier Nawaz Sharif nearly proved a serious threat to regional peace. To avert a nuclear holocaust Nawaz Sharif traveled to the United States to seek then President Bill Clinton's facilitation in de-escalating the situation, says former spymaster and retired Brig. Imtiaz Ahmad, who was detained in Rawalpindi Garrison by Musharraf from 1999 to 2005. The retired brigadier offered an exclusive interview with Arab News. Here are the excerpts:
Is it a fact that Gen. Musharraf never discussed or took permission from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif before he mounted the Kargil operation?
Yes. Gen. Musharraf was so secretive about the operation that he never cared even to take his commanders and air and naval chiefs into confidence.
After being told of the ongoing military conflict between two armies by his Indian counterpart Premier Atal Behari Vajpayee, what was the reaction of Mian Nawaz Sharif?
Mian Nawaz Sharif told Prime Minister Vajpayee: “Let me check the matter with the chief of army staff.” He subsequently asked Musharraf what was going on. Musharraf's reply was very funny. He said during recent reconnaissance we found vacant forward posts. We found it the best opportunity to take over Kargil heights in order to choke the Indian army's reinforcement route to Siachen via the Kargil-Leh highway.
What professional faults did you detect in the Kargil Operation's planning?
It was a classic example of military incompetence. Musharraf and the three other generals in the know (Musharraf, his then Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aziz Khan, Commander 10 Corps Lt. Gen. Mehmud Khan and Force Commander Northern Areas Maj. Gen. Javed Hassan) only provided light-grade weaponry to combat soldiers. No air cover was given, not even proper clothing for the high-altitude environment. There was no counter-plan for a full-scale war. No contingency plan was made for the Indian navy's expected blockade of Pakistan's main naval ports. During the highest-level briefings, the naval and air chiefs expressed their protest at being kept in the dark.
Former President Gen. Musharraf recently commented in London that if he had not launched the Kargil Operation India would not have agreed to the Composite Dialogue process.
This is a totally wrong perception. As a matter of fact, through the Kargil Operation Musharraf did the biggest harm to Pakistan. Pakistan has become a secondary player in South Asia. During the Kargil crisis the United States got a chance to get closer to India. The West supported India in this conflict. Even China was opposed to the Kargil conflict. Pakistan was diplomatically isolated. It was the same Musharraf who made empty boasts of fighting India and had threatened to capture Srinagar. And it was the same Musharraf who almost begged for peace from Prime Minister Vajpayee at the SAARC summit held in Nepal.
What are your views on Musharraf?
I had written in Maj. Pervez Musharraf's dossier that he is an introvert and a dangerously ambitious officer. I wrote that he was not suitable for further promotion. Like India, I too demand the formation of a Kargil Commission to apportion the responsibility of operational, intelligence and logistic failures. The lack of coordination between land, air and sea forces was appalling. Being a nuclear power, how could a few generals risk a nuclear conflagration in South Asia? You will be totally surprised that Musharraf never gave the exact number of Pakistan army casualties to Sharif.
