Retired Lieutenant General, Asad Durrani and Amarjit Singh Dulat have recently published a book that seemingly reveals all. Whether it is the surgical strikes or the very precarious India-Pakistan relationship, Durrani who headed the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) for 2 years has unsettled the media and the Pakistani army.
The two have caught themselves in crossfire with their new book “The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace.” The book is a joint venture and was released on the 23rd of May.
Soon after release, the disqualified ex-Prime Minister; Nawaz Sharif summoned Durrani to discuss the questionable and un-patriotic content of the book. A meeting was called on an urgent basis by Sharif with Durrani and the National Security Committee.
Raza Rabbani, the former chairman of the Pakistan Senate also expressed his disparagement towards the book.
The Pakistan army has voiced how the events chronicled in the book are a defilement of the Military code of conduct. The statement issued by them stated how this violation is applicable to all army personnel whether serving or retired. Therefore, Durrani should be questioned with the same discretion. However, the author and former head of the ISI claims that he has merely given validation to conversations have happened behind closed doors for years now. Durrani talks about the controversies behind capturing and banishing Osama Bin Laden, the Lal Masjid, and the Kashmir issue and the wars that continue to impact Pakistan and India to date. On Bin Laden he says:
For Pakistan, being blamed for incompetence was more acceptable than complicity.
It was later even stated that if the same book had been published by a political leader then he would have been declared a traitor. The Railway Minister Saad Rafique however, expressed rather different views on the matter. In a statement released on Sunday, he declared how without having read the book he finds it unreasonable for people to call Durrani a traitor. He implored that the people calling him a traitor should follow suit and read his book before labeling him so.
In a rather audacious statement, he claimed: “Nobody is a traitor, but a patriot and everyone should have the freedom to speak within limits.”
One is forced to wonder whether this statement is nothing short of a ploy by various political leaders aspiring to maintain an equilibrium of contentions against the presiding government. However, Rafique also claimed that none of the accusation will impact the PML-N politics. The party is anticipated to continue flourishing despite the charges. In a state of denial and oblivion, Rafique voiced his belief that people will vote for PMLN despite the unrest that has trailed. Durrani has been beckoned by the General Headquarters to explain his stance and the views he has expressed in the book. He is said to appear today. We wonder whether if the book is an act of honesty and revelation or if this truly does make him a traitor in the eyes of a country striving to accomplish some political integrity merely months before their general elections.