Recently, a book called ‘Spy Chronicles’ came to prominence when it emerged that it had been written by former ISI chief Asad Durrani, in collaboration with former RAW chief AS Dalut. It became a talking point in both local and international media, as it made some shocking revelations, and has since led to intense debate on all sides.
Even though the book gives details on quite a few historical events, it was the section on the 2008 Mumbai Attacks that caught the public’s eye. Nawaz Sharif’s controversial remarks on the incident had become subject to scathing remarks from the public, media and the army, and many predicted it would harm him in the polls in the upcoming general elections. However the book seemed to corroborate his story, taking the pressure off Nawaz and giving his detractors something else to focus on.
Now Pakistan has already been facing accusations from both India and the US for their support of terrorist organisations and for exporting terrorism across the border. In its discourse, the book has created a lot of controversy, especially after it emerged that a rival spymaster was going to be a co-author as well. This was just the icing on the cake.
This is the reason why the army took no time in responding to the controversy and promptly summoned Asad Durrani to GHQ explain himself and the statements he hasmade in his controversial book. After appearing before the army, Durrani’s name was added to the exit control list (ECL), while a formal court enquiry was initiated under the directive of a serving Lt General.
Nawaz Sharif’s statements caused outrage across the country, and the National Security Council promptly released a statement rejecting his claims. This strong reaction may be the reason why Durrani is being this aggressively targeted. The establishment realized that it would seem duplicitous if they treated Nawaz one way and Durrani another.
Even though it is still hard to comprehend how a book can be termed a security threat, the state had every right to question Durrani. However, what was truly surprising was their request to place a Lt General, albeit retired, on the ECL. It forced me to contemplate whether there had been a shift in the military paradigm. This is because there have been many examples in the past where army officers did not seem to face any accountability at all, with Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf being a prime example. Why then is Asad Durrani being put through so much anguish over the release of his book? Even though answers will come with time, at this stage I can only see a few reasons for the way Durrani has been treated.
The first possible reason that I can think of is to neutralise the threat of Nawaz Sharif. A few day prior to the release of the book, Nawaz had given an interview to a newspaper in which he stated that Pakistan shouldn’t have allowed the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to cross the border and kill over 150 people. His statements caused outrage across the country, and the National Security Council promptly released a statement rejecting his claims.
This strong reaction may be the reason why Durrani is being this aggressively targeted. They realised that it would seem duplicitous if they treated Nawaz one way and Durrani another. Additionally, Raza Rabbani addressed the Senate and claimed that had a civilian, especially in collaboration with an Indian, published such a book the person would be labelled an agent, or charged with treason. Therefore, to avoid more grilling from civilians, GHQ might have decided to make an example out of Durrani.
Secondly, Asad Durrani is already under scrutiny due to the reopening of the Asghar Khan Case, in which the ISI allegedly funded the PML-N to help them beat the PPP in the 1990 elections. Gen (r) Aslam Beg has already placed the entirety of the blame on Durrani, and this might be the reason that he is now viewed as a liability by the armed forces.
Lastly, over the past few years Pakistan has been facing a lot of pressure from USA and India. This pressure has resulted in the country being placed on the FATF grey list and the US Congress blocking CSF for 2017. As many of the stories contained in the ‘Spy Chronicles’ help to strengthen the accusations made by the US and India, it might be in the army’s interest to categorically deny the validity of any of the incidents written in the book. An example can be that of Osama Bin Laden and Durrani’s claim that the ISI knew where his hideout was but failed to do anything about it. The Pakistan army on the other hand, denies having any knowledge of Osama’s whereabouts.
While there is merit to all of the reasons I have cited, it could be that the entire case just turns out to be a red herring. Durrani is already 77-years old and the military will probably not take any strict action against him. At the moment it seems that since this case is getting traction, the army is reacting accordingly, but once all the commotion dies down, life can get back to normal for the ex-spymaster.
The writer is an academic. He tweets @muhd_hani
Published in Daily Times, June 6th 2018.