Forty-four years after the 1965 Indo-Pak war, a retired Pakistani General has endorsed the Indian position that it was his country that had started the "intrusions."
Maj Gen (retd.) Mahmud Ali Durrani, who participated in the war along the Punjab border and rose to be the military secretary to late President Zia ul-Haq and served later as National Security Adviser, said: "We started the intrusions on the borders and I think we should think about the Indian response at that time."
The Indian Army launched a full-fledged war in 1965 because "low-level skirmishes were started from this (Pakistan) side", he said.
The high-level military command was not involved in "a strategy to disturb India" but politicians knew about what was happening along the border, Durrani told a TV news channel. The then foreign minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto too had no idea that India would cross the international border.
At the same time he said Pakistan did not "achieve anything" from going to wars with India in the past.
Durrani said his country should extend a hand of friendship towards the neighbour to settle the outstanding issues. "We should extend (a hand of) friendship towards India, and start peace talks to settle disputes."
68-year-old Durrani was sacked by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani after he told journalists that Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested for the Mumbai attacks, was a Pakistani national.
Maj Gen (retd.) Mahmud Ali Durrani, who participated in the war along the Punjab border and rose to be the military secretary to late President Zia ul-Haq and served later as National Security Adviser, said: "We started the intrusions on the borders and I think we should think about the Indian response at that time."
The Indian Army launched a full-fledged war in 1965 because "low-level skirmishes were started from this (Pakistan) side", he said.
The high-level military command was not involved in "a strategy to disturb India" but politicians knew about what was happening along the border, Durrani told a TV news channel. The then foreign minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto too had no idea that India would cross the international border.
At the same time he said Pakistan did not "achieve anything" from going to wars with India in the past.
Durrani said his country should extend a hand of friendship towards the neighbour to settle the outstanding issues. "We should extend (a hand of) friendship towards India, and start peace talks to settle disputes."
68-year-old Durrani was sacked by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani after he told journalists that Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested for the Mumbai attacks, was a Pakistani national.