Tuesday, September 26 2006 17:27 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chandigarh: Describing Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf as a 'timid general', former Indian Army chief Gen V P Malik today (Sept 26, 2006) said there was a lot of fabrication about the Kargil conflict in his book 'In the Line of Fire'.

"The book is stingy on truth. From the accounts I have read, it appears to be a narration with no references and there appears to be a lot of fabrication about facts," Malik, who was the army chief during the 1999 conflict, told sources here.

On Musharraf's claims that the then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had decided to withdraw troops from strategic features in Kargil sector, Malik said, "In his book Musharraf comes across as a timid general and seems to be passing the buck on Sharif. Though Musharraf ordered the operation in mid-January 1999 and seems to take credit for it, yet he does not spare opportunity in passing the buck."

Dismissing claims of mujahideen carrying out the Kargil operation, he said Musharraf in his book had admitted to the participation of the Northern Light Infantry in the fighting, supported by other regular troops.

"As regards casualties of Pakistani soldiers, immediately after the war ended, our intelligence put these numbers at between 730 and 750. However, we have seen some retired Pakistan Army generals giving accounts of this figure varying between 3000 and 4000," he said, adding Musharraf's claim of a victory in Kargil 'makes me laugh'.