Clinton was ready to 'jump on plane' to stop Kargil's escalation

New Delhi: Former US President Bill Clinton had said he was alarmed by the casual manner in which Indians and Pakistanis spoke of a nuclear war scenario.

This revelation is in Pulitzer Prize-winning author Taylor Branch's book The Clinton Tapes which is now in the market.

Clinton also told Branch that during the 1999 Kargil war Indian leaders had claimed if there was a nuclear war, India would emerge as the ultimate "winner" after wiping off Pakistan.

Clinton said he was ready to "jump on a plane" to prevent its escalation into a full-fledged nuclear war as Pakistan, fearing military defeat, had almost prepared itself to nuke India.