Sharif could have been aware of Kargil aggression: Jaswant

“(But) There were elements particularly in the Pak army that had set its heart on to bringing India down to its knees... that is what has happened and we had Kargil episode (that) eventually led to Musharraf taking over the country,” he said.

Terming the Kargil episode as a challenge to both India's diplomacy and military, Singh said the army initially did not have a clear assessment about the nature and magnitude of the incursion.

It took about 10-12 days to have the actual picture about the developments there, he said.

“The Chief of Army Staff Gen V P Malik was out of the country (at that time). I asked the Deputy Chief. He said it is terrorists. I said they are causing mayhem. How long will you take to clear them. He said 10 days.... It took same time to assess (the actual situation),” the then Foreign Minister recalled.