Militants from Pakistan did sneak into India to attack Mumbai in 2008 and massacre 166 Indians and foreigners, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in remarks published on Saturday.

"Militant organisations are active (in Pakistan)," Sharif told the Dawn newspaper in an interview.

"Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me," he asked, in a clear reference to the Mumbai killings blamed on 10 Pakistani terrorists. One of them was caught and hanged.

"Why can't we complete the trial?" Sharif asked, referring to the masterminds of the Mumbai massacre that almost brought India and Pakistan to war. The Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba was blamed for the Mumbai bloodbath.

"It's absolutely unacceptable. This is exactly what we are struggling for. President (Vladimir) Putin has said it. President Xi (Jinping) has said it," Sharif said.

Sharif, who was deposed following corruption charges, said ahead of a public rally in Multan in Punjab: "You can't run a country if you have two or three parallel governments. This has to stop. There can only be one government: the constitutional one."

Asked why he was ousted from public office, Sharif did not reply directly but steered the conversation towards foreign policy and national security, the Dawn said.

"We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan's narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it."