Press Trust of india

Durrani’s book is sheer foolishness: Musharraf

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Islamabad, May 30: Pakistan’s former dictator Pervez Musharraf has said that the controversial book co-authored by former ISI chief Lt Gen (retd) Asad Durrani was not a conspiracy but sheer foolishness.

Durrani’s name has been put on the no-fly list and Pakistan Army has ordered a Court of Inquiry to investigate his claims mentioned in the book he co-authored with former RAW chief Amarjit Singh Dulat.

When asked about the fate of Durrani, Gen (retd) Musharraf said, “Let the army decide”.

“I was surprised when I found out that a former DG ISI and a retired chief have authored a book together,” said Musharraf while speaking in an ‘Express News’ talk show.

He said the publication of the book ‘Spy Chronicles’ by Durrani was not a conspiracy but sheer foolishness.

“How can two persons with different views co-author a book?” the Dubai-based former Pakistan Army chief wondered.

The release of the book has sparked accusations of treachery against the former spy chief after his views on various matters of regional and global concern came under intense public scrutiny.

The powerful military, which has ruled Pakistan for about half its history since independence in 1947, is considered a major player in the country’s politics.

Musharraf also claimed that he had sacked Durrani as Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia due to his poor performance.

Referring to the Kargil operation of 1998, Musharraf claimed that Durrani has criticised the operation in his book because “I was able to pull it off with a reasonable success”.

“He was senior to me and believed that I should have learnt from him, but I [successfully] conducted the operation,” Musharraf claimed.

“An army official should be ashamed of himself for badmouthing the operation,” he said.

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