Musharraf says he had considered nuclear attack on India in 2002

Former military ruler says he had decided not to because he feared retaliation

Former military dictator and All Pakistan Muslim League chief General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has revealed he considered using nuclear weapons against India in 2002 - but decided not to because he feared retaliation.

Musharraf, now 73 and living in Dubai, said there was a "danger when nuclear threshold could have been crossed" amid worsening relations between the two countries.

The former military ruler said he had sleepless nights deciding whether he should use the devastating weapon as tensions flared in the wake of an attack on the Indian Parliament in New Delhi that left 14 dead.

According to the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun, Musharraf said neither Pakistan nor India had nuclear warheads on their missiles at the time meaning it would have taken up to two days to prepare them for launch.

He was then asked whether he had asked for warheads to be fixed to missiles, to which he responded: "We didn't do that and we don't think India also did that, thank God."

Earlier this year, Musharraf launched a career as a political analyst on a weekly television talk show, a prominent role for the ex-leader who lives in Dubai and faces several criminal cases at home.

Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 military coup and stepped down nine years later amid mass protests, was allowed to leave Pakistan last year for health reasons that his lawyer argued prevented him from standing trial on treason and other charges. Musharraf denied the charges.

The criminal cases against Musharraf were lodged by prosecutors under Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted as prime minister in the 1999 coup. Sharif returned to power in elections four years ago.

The cases against Musharraf were seen as a source of tension between the military and Sharif's government.

This article originally appeared on MailOnline.