Pakistan considered using nuclear weapons against India in 2002: Pervez Musharraf

Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf allegedly claims that he considered using nuclear weapons against India amid tension between the two countries following the terror attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001.

However, Musharraf decided against using the nuclear weapons due to fear of retaliation, PTI reported citing a media report. The former Army chief said that there was a "danger when (the) nuclear threshold could have been crossed" as tensions between both countries were high in 2002 following the attack on the Parliament the previous year.

Musharraf recalled that he spent several sleepless nights asking himself whether he would or could use nuclear weapons against India, PTI reported citing Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun. At that time, the 73-year-old had publicly said that he would not rule out the possibility of using nuclear weapons.

Musharraf also said that neither Pakistan nor India had, at that time, nuclear warheads on their missiles. Therefore, it would have taken one or two days to make them ready for launch.

When asked whether he had ordered for the missiles to be equipped with nuclear warheads and put into firing position, Musharraf said: "We didn't do that and we don't think India also did that. Thank God," the Japanese paper reported.

Musharraf had ousted then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a coup in October 1999 following which the Army chief served as the President of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. He resigned in 2008 to avoid getting impeached.

Musharraf has been living in Dubai since 2016 when he was allowed to leave Pakistan on the pretext of medical treatment. He is accused of being involved in the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007.