Nawaz Sharif... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
on Friday called for an end to a long-running arms race between Pakistain and India, and a stop to a decades-old 'blame game'.
"We have been in a very unfortunate arms race with India ever since partition. Both Pakistain and India have wasted so much money in military hardware and building up their defenses against each other," Sharif told British newspaper the Telegraph in an interview.
"They have been running after MiG-29s, we have been running after F-16s; they have been buying more tanks and we have been running after submarines. Look at how expensive they are," he said. "I think this must come to an end."
Sharif said his government, which was swept into power in the May 11 general elections, believed in peacefully resolving ongoing conflicts with India to cut down defense spending.
"The money wasted in defense should have gone into social sectors...into education, healthcare. I hope both countries realise...these mistakes that we've made. And I think the main objective of making peace with each other is to get rid of all that," he said, referring to the staggering amounts spent on military expenditure of both South Asian neighbours.