Ex-Pak PM Nawaz Sharif Says 26/11 Remark ‘Grossly Misinterpreted’

Sharif, in an interview to Dawn, admitted that militant organisations were still “active” on Pakistani territory

Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif.

(Photo: Reuters)

Facing ire from all quarters for his ‘admission’ on the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday, 13 May, claimed that the media "grossly misinterpreted" his remarks.

A spokesman for Sharif said:

At the outset, statement of Nawaz Sharif has been grossly misinterpreted by the Indian media. Unfortunately a section of Pakistani electronic and social media has intentionally or unintentionally not only validated but has lent credence to the malicious propaganda of Indian media without going through the full facts of the statement. 

Sharif, for the first time, publicly acknowledged in an interview that militant organisations are active in Pakistan.

The spokesperson on 13 May, said in a statement, “The PML-N would like to set the record straight on the interview of PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif carried yesterday by Dawn.”

"PML-N as the country's premier popular national political party and its supreme leader (Nawaz Sharif) need no certificate from anybody on their commitment and capacity to preserve, protect and promote Pakistan's national security,” he added in the statement..

“After all, it was Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who, resisting all pressures, took the most important and most difficult decision on national security in Pakistan's history by making the country a nuclear power in May 1998," he said.

In an an exclusive interview with Dawn on Friday, Sharif also criticised the apparent delay in the conclusion of the Mumbai attack trial.

Opposition Slams Nawaz Sharif

He is under attack from opponents as well as some of the estranged leaders from his Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) party for allegedly supporting the Indian narrative on the Mumbai attack case and harming national interests.

Leading opposition leader and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan said that Sharif was speaking the language of (Indian Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and cooperating against enemies of Pakistan to harm the country.

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader and former diplomat Sherry Rehman also slammed the former prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday, 13 May.

While addressing a press conference in Karachi she said:

Is he (Sharif) an analyst to give such statements? Is he not aware of the consequences of his words? As you can see, the whole world has started questioning his statement. 

“We have strong reservations about his statement. Pakistan has nothing to hide and always cooperated in the 26/11 attack trials. We would not allow Pakistan's honour to be hampered,” she added.

What Did Nawaz Sharif Say

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday, 12 May, in an unprecedented comment, suggested that his country was behind the deadly 26/11 Mumbai attacks that killed 164 people and injured over 300 others.

“We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan’s narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it,” he told Dawn.

In an interview to Pakistan national daily, Sharif admitted that militant organisations were still "active" on the Pakistani territory and asked if the country should allow "non-state actors" to cross the border and "kill 150 people in Mumbai".

The recently ousted prime minister lamented that the 26/11 attack-related cases were yet to be heard in the Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court.

It’s absolutely unacceptable. This is exactly what we are struggling for. President Putin has said it. President Xi has said it. We could have already been at seven percent growth (in GDP), but we are not.

Nawaz Sharif, former PM, Pakistan

Previously, in 2017, former Pakistan national security advisor Muhammad Ali Durrani had also admitted that the attacks at several places in Mumbai were carried out by a terrorist group based out of Pakistan.

“I hate to admit that the 26/11 Mumbai attack carried out by a terror group based in Pakistan on 26 November 2008 is a classic trans-border terrorist event,” he had said.

On 26 November 2008, 10 armed Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists stormed the city and exploded bombs at several spots in Mumbai. The terrorists laid siege to the iconic Taj Hotel where their confrontation with security forces lasted three days.

(With inputs from PTI, ANI and Dawn)

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