Zee News : Pak Generals, Bhutto slam Musharraf for revealing secrets

Pak Generals, Bhutto slam Musharraf for revealing secrets

September 29, 2006

Islamabad, Sept 29: Retired Pakistani Generals and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto have slammed president pervez musharraf for endangering national security interests through his memoirs with a former army officer wanting him to be "interrogated" by a national commission.

"He (Musharraf) has provided ample legal and moral evidence against himself. A National Commission should be formed to interrogate him," said former ISI Chief Lt Gen (retd) Hameed Gul, who turned a strong critic of Musharraf ever since he withdrew support to Taliban government in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Another retired ISI chief Asad Durrani said the book "in the line of fire" had revealed that Pakistan's decision to support the US-led war on the Taliban was taken under threat and pressure from Washington.

Observing that Musharraf has made a "cheap attempt to gain popularity at the behest of endangering Pakistan's vital interests," Bhutto said "by violating the official secrets act, Gen. Musharraf is jeopardising Pakistan's national security".

In a statement, Bhutto, who is abroad in self-exile, regretted that Musharraf was "abusing" his official position to boost his personal image.

The daily times quoted Durrani to say "a large segment of society thought that Pakistan had taken side with the us after 9/11, but Gen Musharraf's revelation has been a big disappointment to them".

Retired General Kamal Matinuddin was of the opinion that Musharraf should not have disclosed sensitive details about disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist A Q Khan, the Afghanistan policy and the Kargil conflict and that too in a controversial manner.

"I would not have written these facts if I was writing a book. There are many things which one knows but they are not supposed to be disclosed," he said.

Former Generals Aslam Beg and K M Arif said they were not in a position to comment on the book because they had not read it.

Reports said Musharraf's book was selling fast in Quetta, the capital of southwest Balochistan province, which was up in arms ever since the killing of Baloch Nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti on Aug 26 in a military encounter.

Bureau Report