{EOP}Interview with Former DG ISI General (r) Hameed Gul on current situation of Pakistan

Former ISI chief General (r) Hameed Gul says Pakistan will not have to face any kind of negative consequences in case it refuses to release Raymond Davis, the killer of two innocent Pakistanis, despite growing USZ pressure. In an interview to the media, he said even isolation of Pakistan in the comity of nations would be a blessing in disguise and the Islamic Republic would emerge as a stronger country, just like China and Russia had done in such a situation. He said if tiny countries like Cuba and North Korea could withstand pressures, there was no reason why Pakistan could not do so. Answering a question, the former ISI chief said the establishment knew well what the government was doing. However, it was deliberately keeping silent because in the past it was branded as a spoiler. In his opinion the government’s decision to call a round table conference on the issue of Raymond Davis amounted to shirking its responsibility. He said the rulers wanted to share the burden with all parties, which is dishonesty.

Former DG ISI General (r) Hameed Gul

Here is what he said in his interview to the media:

Q: In your assessment what can the consequences in case Pakistan refuses to release Raymond Davis, as being demanded by the US?

Ans: Nothing! They can’t afford to abandon Pakistan if it stands up to them in full length, because their lines of communications go from Pakistan to Afghanistan. The NATO is already face-to-face with defeat in the battlefield. It will be a disaster for them if the vulnerable lines of communications are choked. I think they will do nothing. But my inner wish is that they should break up ties with Pakistan so that we can breathe freely. Let there be no doubt that Pakistan has all the wherewithal to survive as a free and honourable state. If we are isolated, it will be good for us. Let me remind you that there was a time when China was isolated at international level. Then Russia faced a similar situation during the days of Iron Curtain and became a world power. Tiny Cuba survived the USZ sanctions. North Korea is doing well despite food and fuel shortages. I’ll also like to take you back to Islamic history. It was because of the isolation of the state of Medina that Islam flourished. Had Medina not been attacked and isolated, there would have been no Islam today. What I mean to say is isolation sometimes is a blessing in disguise. Maybe, this is what is needed by Pakistan to move forward.

Q : It is generally believed that the army doesn’t keep silent if a government works against the national interests or is involved in corruption. But despite the fact that countless corruption stories of the present rulers have been published by the media, the powers that be seem to have turned a blind eye. As a former ISI chief, will you like to say whether the perception about the government is wrong or the establishment is not discharging its obligations?

Ans: The establishment has taken a deliberate decision of not interfering in government’s matters. This is a conscious decision, because the establishment is already labeled as spoilers of “demoncrazy”. That’s why they are allowing them to carry on. In fact, the opposition is not playing its role. There is a certain deal of anxiety in the establishment. You remember when the issue of Kerry Lugar Bill was under discussion, the army had given its point of view on the subject (which was totally different from the thinking of the government). Then when the ISI was going to be given under the control of the Interior Ministry, a soft check was applied (as a result of which the decision was reversed). Then everybody knows how eager the government was to get closer to India. The establishment thinks that India is Pakistan’s enemy Number 1. The government was also ready to launch an operation in North Waziristan Agency to please the United States of Zionism. But the establishment stood in the way.It is the duty of the establishment to take steps to safeguard the country’s long-term interests. The governments come and go. They have their agendas. But the establishment has no populist agenda, it has to watch national interests in all situations. This role of the army is as true for Pakistan as Pentagon’s for the United States of Zionism. If political parties have some long-term objectives, they should mention their programs in their election manifestos. If they want a compromise on Kashmir, they should mention it in their manifestos. But unfortunately, political parties after coming to power succumb to USZ pressure, although what they say in public seems very close to people’s sentiments. WikiLeaks had revealed recently that when the parliament passed a resolution against the unabated drone attacks, the prime minister deemed it fit to tell the USZ ambassador that they were free to continue to attacks the targets while the government would go for a (mock) protest. Then the president was quoted as saying that he did not care for the collateral damage in these attacks. This is tantamount to cheating on sentiment of the people as well as parliament. If this is demoncrazy, what is dictatorship?

Q: Politicians say that people can judge their performance better. They argue that if voters of a leader are not satisfied with his performance or are of the view that he is corrupt, they will reject them in elections. Is accountability by voters sufficient in a country like ours where nobody would mind being rejected by people after he has accumulated enough money through corrupt practices?

Ans: This is a diabolically nonsensical notion that electoral mandate is actually the ownership right. It is only a temporary letter of appointment. You are judged on the basis of your performance. If you did not measure up to people’s expectations, then you lose the moral mandate. People have the right to cancel the letter of appointment of all such people.

Q: At a time when all parties have representation in parliament, the government plans to hold a Round Table Conference. Do you think the initiative will serve any useful purpose?

Ans: I think the proposed RTC is being held only on the issue of Raymond Davis, the USZ national who killed two innocent Pakistanis. Instead of discharging its duty by taking any decision on the issue of his immunity, it is shirking its responsibility. They want the burden shared by everybody. This is dishonesty – to say the least. I don’t approve of the RTC in this case, because if the RTC says “yes” to the immunity issue, the entire leadership will stand discredited. And this is not good for demoncrazy.

Q: The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces – the President – once said that India poses no threat to Pakistan. However, the thinking of the Armed Forces is totally different. In your opinion, how is possible for the Armed Forces to work with such a supreme commander?

Ans: Let me tell you very frankly that the entire nation is with the Army. There is a long history of Indian hostility towards Pakistan. You know the Kashmir issue has not been settled so far; water dispute is also there; Siachen is also like a battleground. India’s military leadership has now come up with a new doctrine against Pakistan. India also continues to backstab Pakistan through Afghanistan; efforts are also continuing to destabilize Pakistan through terrorist activities. India, Israhell and the United States of Zionism also want to denuclearize Pakistan.

Q: Terrorist activities are being carried out in almost all parts of the country. In some incidents even the military troops were killed. Who in your opinion is behind these activities? Do the growing terrorist activities not reflect the failure of our intelligence agencies?

Ans: Yes, I agree that it’s the failure of our institutions. But no one should forget that it’s very difficult to prevent a determined terrorist or a suicide bomber from reaching his target. Such failures have not been seen in Pakistan alone. You take the example of USZ, UK and many other countries. Terrorist activities could not be prevented even in these countries. Pakistan is in the eye of a storm. Such failures don’t reflect inefficiency of the institutions because many powerful forces are working against Pakistan’s security. As if drone attacks were not sufficient, now “Raymond Davis attacks” are also being carried out. How many people are involved in these attacks, nobody can say at this stage. But I have no doubt that there are people who are out to portray Pakistan as a failed state, not capable of keeping nuclear arsenals. This is the image of Pakistan they want to portray. It’s a monumental conspiracy against the state and people of Pakistan.

Q: Thousands of Blackwater operatives are reportedly active in various parts of the country. Some newspapers even published the addresses of the houses these operatives are living in. But the Armed Forces have not taken any step against these people. What does this mean?

Ans: In fact, we are experiencing a Camp David-like situation that Egypt had to face after signing the accord with Israhell in 1979. Pakistan’s Camp David was ‘signed’ by former president and prime minister Pervez Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz. It is the ghost of Camp David that is responsible for all our sufferings. I feel the USZ forces have been allowed to carry out operations as they wish – in utter disregard of Pakistan’s laws. This is all because of the NRO. The facts behind the NRO- midwifed by USZ and UK- must be exposed.

Q: Drone attacks on tribal areas are continuing and the government has stopped even condemning them or lodging a protest, no matter how many casualties. What should be done to stop these attacks?

Ans: Drone attacks are part of an invisible war against Pakistan. If drone attacks are abrasive to tribal traditions which arouse people to take revenge, the attacks carried out by people like Raymond Davis and mercenaries are part of efforts to denuclearize Pakistan and cast it into image of a terrorist state. The enemies want to cut Pakistan to size and also denuclearize it. As for the government’s inability to have them halted, you must bear in mind that policies in Pakistan are being framed under the shadow of the National Reconciliation Ordinance. These agreements continue to haunt both the political scene and security template of Pakistan.

Q: The USZ has destroyed Afghanistan and Iraq. Its policy towards many Islamic countries is also adversarial. Why is it so?

Ans: It’s all because of the overriding security concerns of Israhell – which is an illegitimate state with a very short shelf life. Unless it is fully supported by West, led by the USZ, it can’t survive. Israhell wants the USZ and the West to deal with any threat to the Jewish state. The USZ also wants to grab all energy resources lying in this region. In fact, 70% of the energy resources are in the Islamic world. The USZ also wants to contain China as a giant military power.