Deposed Leader of Pakistan Cites ‘Grudge’

Taking the witness stand for the first time, Pakistan’s deposed prime minister Wednesday accused the army chief who now rules the country of manufacturing the terrorism, hijacking, kidnapping and murder charges against him.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said army chief Gen. Pervez Musharraf “bore a grudge against me” because of a decision Sharif made during last summer’s border fighting with India.

The charges Sharif faces carry the death penalty or life in prison.

The army took over Oct. 12 after Sharif announced Musharraf’s dismissal as army chief and his replacement by a junior general. Sharif and several of his aides were arrested.

Sharif said the rift with Musharraf had its roots in last year’s fighting in Kargil, in Kashmir, a territory divided between India and Pakistan that both nations claim in its entirety.

India said Pakistani soldiers disguised as Muslim militants had crossed into its portion of Kashmir and seized Indian military posts. Pakistan denied that, saying that Muslim guerrillas had captured the posts and that the government had no authority over the guerrillas.

After a meeting with President Clinton, Sharif ordered the guerrillas to withdraw from Indian territory, ending the dispute. There were reports that the military grumbled at Sharif’s concessions.