Nawaz Sharif's remarks on 26/11 'misreported', says Pakistan PM; 10 updates

Indian media is giving the issue a different hue, and we should not be a part of it, said Pakistan PM

Pakistan's National Security Committee (NSC) held an emergency meeting on Monday wherein Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that former premier Nawaz Sharif clarified to him that his statement about the Mumbai terror attack was "misreported". After chairing the NSC meet, Pakistan PM Abbasi held a meeting with Nawaz Sharif and asserted that Sharif did not make the remarks on 2008 Mumbai terror attacks as reported in the media.

The National Security Committee (NSC), which is Pakistan's top civil-military body, condemned Nawaz Sharif's "fallacious" statement and termed it as "incorrect and misleading”, according to news agency PTI.

NSC held a meeting on Monday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to discuss "misleading media statement" attributed to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's on the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Also, Nawaz Sharif today defended his recent remarks about the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, saying he will speak the truth no matter what the consequences are, reported ANI.

Nawaz Sharif criticised the country's handling of militant groups responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

A petition was filed today in a Pakistan court to register a treason case against ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif over his controversial statements questioning the policy to allow the "non-state actors" to cross the border and "kill" people in Mumbai in 2008, reported PTI.

The petition was filed in the Lahore High Court by advocate Aftab Virk on behalf of Pakistan Awaami Tehreek's Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, who alleged that Sharif's comments are against national security and state institutions. The petition also prayed the court to initiate proceedings against him, The Express Tribune reported.

Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday had set the cat among the pigeons after he publicly acknowledged that militant organisations are active in the country and questioned Islamabad's policy of allowing "non-state actors" to cross the border and "kill" people in Mumbai, in an apparent reference to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. In the wake of the remarks, the Pakistan Army is said to be 'extremely upset' with Sharif, who has come under attack for his statement, and will hold a high-level meeting on Monday to discuss the matter. Meanwhile, Sharif's party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has issued a statement claiming that his statement has been "grossly misinterpreted" by the Indian media.   

Without naming Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed and Maulana Masood Azhar's militant organisations, the Jamaat-ud-Dawah and Jaish-e-Mohammad, Sharif had said in an interview: Militant organisations are active in Pakistan. "Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill over 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can't we complete the trial," said Sharif. 

New Delhi has long accused the Lashkar-e-Taiba of carrying out the attacks in Mumbai in 2008 with the help of ten well-armed terrorists. These attackers arrived on a boat from Karachi and, according to the Indian government, carried out the violent strikes across Mumbai in coordination with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. The attacks left 166 people dead. 

The 26/11 case is being tried in an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan since 2009 but has hardly made any progress. India maintains that Pakistan has not kept its end of the bargain and sent the case to court without really investigating the conspiracy that led to the attacks. Islamabad, however, squarely blames New Delhi for not providing it with "solid evidence" against prime accused Hafiz Saeed and others. 

Sharif, for his part, has been disqualified from holding public office for life by the Pakistan Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case.   

Here are the top ten developments around Nawaz Sharif's remarks on the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks: 

1) What Sharif spoke was “misreported”, says Pak PM: After presiding over the emergency meeting of the National Security Committee and holding a conversation with Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi clarified to the media that, “Nawaz’s statements about the Mumbai terror attack was "misreported". “Indian media is giving the issue a different hue, and we should not be a part of it”. 

Abbasi said there was no tension between the civil and military. He also clarified that misunderstandings are removed in the light of the facts. He expressed full support for Sharif and said the entire party, including party president Shehbaz Sharif, stands with him. "Nawaz Sharif is still our Quaid (supreme leader)," he said. He said that no one forced him to talk to the media and it was his own decision to give the explanatory statement.

2) Treason petition filed against Nawaz Sharif: A petition was filed today in a Pakistani court to register a treason case against ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif for his controversial remarks questioning the policy to allow the "non-state actors" to cross the border and "kill" people in Mumbai in 2008. The petition was filed in the Lahore High Court by advocate Aftab Virk on behalf of Pakistan Awaami Tehreek's Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, alleging that Sharif's statement is against national security and state institutions.

3) Sharif defends remarks over Mumbai attack: Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, whose comments have stirred a controversy in Pakistan, today defended his recent remarks about the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, saying he will speak the truth no matter what the consequences are.

4) Pakistan Army upset with Sharif, worried over his remarks: The Pakistan Army is said to be 'extremely upset' with Nawaz Sharif's remarks on the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Citing unnamed sources, news agencies reported that Sharif's statement has left the Pakistan Army extremely worried that "this will give more weight to India's narrative that Pakistan is not doing enough" to rein in terrorist modules operating from its soil and particularly from areas in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).  

5) Army afraid Sharif's remarks could put Pakistan on the blacklist: What exactly does the Pakistan Army have to fear from Sharif's remarks? Citing unnamed sources, news agencies have reported that the top brass of the army is particularly concerned about "Sharif's statement tilting the balance sufficiently enough to put Pakistan on the blacklist of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)". The FATF is a Paris-based inter-governmental organisation founded in 1989 on the initiative of the Group of Seven (G-7) nations to create policies to combat money laundering. Pakistan is already on its grey list for the last three months.

  

6) Imran Khan calls Sharif modern-day Mir Jafar: Leading opposition leader and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan said that Sharif was speaking the language of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and cooperating with enemies of Pakistan to harm the country. "Nawaz Sharif is the modern-day Mir Jafar who collaborated with the British to enslave his nation for personal gains. Nawaz speaking Modi's language against Pak State simply to protect his ill-gotten Rs 300 billion stashed in his sons' companies abroad," he said on Twitter. 

7) PML-N says Sharif's statement 'grossly misinterpreted': Sharif's political party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, has issued a statement dismissing all claims with regard to his remarks on the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, stating it has been "grossly misinterpreted" by the Indian media. The statement shared by Nawaz Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, on Twitter read, "PML-N would like to set the record straight on the interview of PML-N Quaid carried yesterday by DAWN. At the outset, statement of the Quaid has been grossly misinterpreted by the Indian media."  

8) PPP's Sherry Rehman blasts Nawaz over Mumbai attacks statement: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader and former diplomat Sherry Rehman on Sunday lambasted Nawaz Sharif for his remarks on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Rehman 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," added the leader of the opposition in the Pakistani Senate. 

9) Congress calls on Modi government to act against Pakistan: Following Sharif's statement, the Congress on Sunday asked the government to take diplomatic measures to highlight before the international community the involvement of Pakistan in terrorist activities in India. Congress leader Pawan Khera also called for action by the international community against Pakistan for carrying out terrorist activities in India.  

Khera also took a dig at the government, saying that while it has not often shown its diplomatic muscle in the past four years, it should do so at least now. "But we expect that the government will do it now and ensure that the international community takes notice of what Sharif has said and take appropriate action against Pakistan," he said. 

10) Sitharaman says Nawaz's statement vindicates India's stand: Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said that Sharif's statement on the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks proved that India has been right "all through the way".  

"It is a serious disclosure. Hasn't India been following it? Saying that we strongly believe that the handlers of the 26/11 offences were in Pakistan. This only proves India's stand has been right all through the way," Sitharaman told reporters. She went on to add that Pakistan's claims about it being a victim of terrorism are all bogus. "For a state which has been continuously in denial, even when proofs have been absolutely unquestionable, it is not surprising. But it is absolutely something which has to be thrown to the whole world to see so that they know that all the lectures that Pakistan gives to the whole world about human rights and about how Pakistan itself is a victim are all bogus," she added.  

With agency inputs