Ex ISI Chief discusses regional history with Algazeera

[TankMan]

It is common knowledge that Pakistan allied with the US and supported the Afghan Mujahideen to fight the Soviets.

Back then, well, the image below shows what the world thought of the people we were supporting:

We never supported terrorists. We supported freedom fighters who wanted peace and were fighting against the Soviet aggressors for it. They might've turned into terrorists after that. Not our fault.

The Afghan Taliban should not be confused with the TTP. The two have different origins, different goals, different interests and different supporters.

 

[FaujHistorian]

It is imposssible to grant benefit of doubt after confesssions. Did you process what he said about post 9/11 talean support? and the bit about hafeez sayeed?

Meray bhai jaan

you have Indian goggles and ear muffs on.

No matter what he says or does, you will hear what you want to hear and you will see what you want to see.

your views are no different from classical "Saas-bahu battles". (Mother-in-law vs. daughter-in-law battles)

you decide if you want to be saas or bahu

But whatever you be, just like saas bahu

you are ready to burn down the other or burn yourself up with hatred and prejudice and extreme bias.

peace to you

It is imposssible to grant benefit of doubt after confesssions. Did you process what he said about post 9/11 talean support? and the bit about hafeez sayeed?

As I said, all your arguments are based on saas-bahu war
and not at all based on dispassionate study of military history.

He over and over said that he is not justifying anything.

This is what happened. the way it happened until 1993 when he retired.

ISI does not give any more info to the retired people.

So you are trying to jump around the time by decades over decades.

Please calm down.

It will help you understand things better.

 

[Hiptullha]

We never supported terrorists. We supported freedom fighters who wanted peace and were fighting against the Soviet aggressors for it. They might've turned into terrorists after that. Not our fault.

I'll be honest here. While we did support the Mujahideen, we selectively supported groups in the Mujahideen. We had the opportunity to support Mujahideen heroes like Ahmed Shah Massoud but we sidelined him and focused more on supporting men like Hekmatyar who was more interested in attacking other Mujahideen groups and fighters. Supporting the Taliban is different. While I think we were right to support the group in its early days, we should have exerted more pressure on its leaders to prevent them from associating with people like Osama Bin Laden.

 

[Tiger Genie]

Meray bhai jaan

you have Indian goggles and ear muffs on.

No matter what he says or does, you will hear what you want to hear and you will see what you want to see.

your views are no different from classical "Saas-bahu battles". (Mother-in-law vs. daughter-in-law battles)

you decide if you want to be saas or bahu

But whatever you be, just like saas bahu

you are ready to burn down the other or burn yourself up with hatred and prejudice and extreme bias.

peace to you



As I said, all your arguments are based on saas-bahu war
and not at all based on dispassionate study of military history.

He over and over said that he is not justifying anything.

This is what happened. the way it happened until 1993 when he retired.

ISI does not give any more info to the retired people.

So you are trying to jump around the time by decades over decades.

Please calm down.

It will help you understand things better.

@FaujHistorian - Amigo, if bold facing large large fonts makes you feel better, sure thing; but please understand it makes it a bit difficult on small screens - no big deal, just please be aware.

This general admits he and the agency he led, ISI, did all these terrorist activities and you make the point that he wouldn't know what happens after he retired. So do you think things got any better or worse since the mid nineties vizaviz ISI's terrorist activities? Secondly, he also admits advising Musharraf, and that has been acknowledged elsewhere as well. So it is reasonable to conclude he was not done the day he retired.

A lot of you want to dismiss all this as cynicism of a pained soldier - that these generals have had to deal with such tragedy that they aare putting themselves through the suffrage of having to kill their own people etc... bullcrap. These generals and officers are no different from the 72V jihadi nutjobs. The jihadis are brainwashed by visions of paradise and the Pak military officers brainwashed by visions of non-existent valor and assumed nobility.

When the people of Pakistan elect governments, who gave the right to Durrani and his ilk to so casually dismiss them as unacceptable? He does that in so many words. We all know everyone of your military officers think exactly that.

 

[surya kiran]

He was an intelligence chief. And these are events. Today's enemy is tomorrow's friend and vice versa. The problem with Pakistan is not that they helped the Mujahideen under Zia.

The problems were they were not able to insulate their society and they did not have an exit strategy.

For example, if you are trying to destablise a country, you do it with its citizens, not send your citizens to die. You indoctrinate other country's citizens not your own. This makes it easier to exit. At the end of the day, fatalities of another country's citizen is war fatality.

 

[chhota bheem]

As usual another Ex chief opens his mouth and does more harm to the Pakistani image than good.