Hamid Gul
Military Intelligence | |
---|---|
In office 1983–1987 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Hamid Gul 20 November 1936 Afghan Civil War (1989-1992)
|
Awards | Sitara-e-Basalat |
In addition, Gul was widely credited for expanding covert support to
In 1988 Gul also played a role in the creation of the
On 15 August 2015, he died after suffering a
Early life and education
Hamid Gul was born on 20 November 1936 in
Gul ancestrally descended from the Yusufzai tribe of Pashtuns. His father, who was a Subedar-Major in the British Indian Army, moved from Swat to Lahore before settling down in Sargodha, where he got arable land, his grandfather was a Khilafat Movement activist while his great-grandfather Faiz Khan was a Deobandi who participated in the jihad of Syed Ahmad Barelvi and Shah Ismail Dehlvi.[13]
He got his early education from a school in his village. He then received admission into
Army career
Hamid Gul was commissioned in the
Gul was then sent to GHQ as the
Director-General of the ISI (1987–1989)
Afghanistan and the Soviet war
During his time as head of the ISI amid the
Contrary to Pakistani expectations, this battle proved that the Afghan army could fight without Soviet help, and greatly increased the confidence of government supporters. Conversely, the morale of the mujahideen involved in the attack slumped and many local commanders of Hekmatyar and Sayyaf concluded truces with the government.[18]
Domestic politics
During his tenure as ISI chief in 1988, General Gul successfully gathered conservative politicians and helped them create
Kashmir and India
According to accusations by Indian commentator B Raman, Gul actively backed
Pan-Islamism
Even if the ISI, under General Akhtar Abdur Rahman, was already aiming beyond the region, for instance establishing contacts with jihadi groups like the
At the time of his death, journalist Abbas Nasir, while offering a critical review of his life and career, said that "commitment to jihad - to an Islamic revolution transcending national boundaries, was such that he dreamed one day the "green Islamic flag" would flutter not just over Pakistan and Afghanistan, but also over territories represented by the (former Soviet Union) Central Asian republics."[23]
Post-Soviet war fallout
General Gul worked closely with the
General Gul personally met Osama bin Laden in 1993 and refused to label him a terrorist unless and until irrefutable evidence was provided linking him to alleged acts of terrorism.[25] Only days after the September 11 attacks, Gul also stated his belief that the attacks were "clearly an inside job".[26][27][28]
Post-retirement career
According to Zahid Hussain, in his book Frontline Pakistan, Lt. Gen. Hamid Gul and former Army chief General
On 12 March 2007, Gul marched alongside activists from the liberal democratic parties and retired former senior military officers against General Pervez Musharraf. General Gul faced down riot police when they tried to arrest him at a rally outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad protesting against attempts to dismiss Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.[30]
He turned against the restored Supreme Court chief justice after a bench allowed Musharraf to contest the elections in uniform.[31]
Days after the
Gul acknowledged his affiliation with Ummah Tameer-e-Nau.[34] United States government prompted Gul's name in a list of 4 former ISI officers for inclusion in the list of international terrorists that was sent to UN Secretary General, but China refused.[35][36]
In 2008 Gul was informed by a senior official in Pakistan's Foreign Ministry that he had been placed on a U.S. watch list of "global terrorists", along with several others. He was shown a U.S. document that detailed several charges against him, including allegations that he had ties to al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Gul rejected these allegations.[37] On 14 December 2008, President Asif Ali Zardari in an interview with Newsweek described Hamid Gul as a "political ideologue" of terror rather than a physical supporter.[38] According to the Daily Telegraph, following the death of Osama bin Laden, Gul opined that US forces had killed him in Afghanistan and moved the body to Abbottabad to humiliate Pakistan.[39]
Family
His father was a farmer who served in the British Army.[40] He was survived by his wife, who died in October 2019.[41] He has two sons Umar and Abdullah and a daughter Uzma.[42] His son Abdullah Gul, holds the office of Chairman Tehreek-e-Jawanan Pakistan and Kashmir (TJP).[43] His daughter Uzma is the Chairperson Jammu Kashmir Solidarity Movement & Pak Kashmir Women Alliance.[44]
Death
Hamid Gul suffered a haemorrhagic stroke in Murree. According to reports, he had been suffering from
Among his possessions was a piece of the Berlin Wall, gifted to him by the Germans for "delivering the first blow" to the Soviet Union.[39]
Books
- Īfāʼe ʻAhd (ايفائے عهد), Lahore : ʻIlm va ʻIrfān Publishers, 2012, 192 p. An account of various political changes in Pakistan; struggles of various forces to destabilize Pakistan and its security. Arranged by Mubīn G̲h̲aznavī.
- Ek Janral Se Inṭarviyū (ايک جنرل سے انٹرويو), Lahore : ʻIlm va ʻIrfān Publishers, 2013, 200 p. Collection of interviews arranged by Mubīn G̲h̲aznavī.
Awards and decorations
Hilal-e-Imtiaz
(Crescent of Excellence) |
Sitara-e-Imtiaz
(Star of Excellence) | ||
Sitara-e-Basalat
(Star of Good Conduct) |
Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War
(War Star 1965) |
Sitara-e-Harb 1971 War
(War Star 1971) |
Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War
(War Medal 1965) |
Tamgha-e-Jang 1971 War
(War Medal 1971) |
10 Years Service Medal | 20 Years Service Medal | 30 Years Service Medal |
Tamgha-e-Sad Saala Jashan-e-
(100th Birth Anniversary of 1976 |
Hijri Tamgha
(Hijri Medal) 1979 |
Jamhuriat Tamgha
(Democracy Medal) 1988 |
Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha
(Resolution Day Golden Jubilee Medal) 1990 |
References
- ^ Battle of Jalalabad - Operation Jalalabad - Pak-Afg war, 1989, retrieved 6 July 2023
- ^ Yousaf, Mohammad; Adkin, Mark. "Afghanistan – The bear trap – Defeat of a superpower". sovietsdefeatinafghanistan.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
- ^ Nasir, Abbas (18 August 2015). "The legacy of Pakistan's loved and loathed Hamid Gul". Al-Jazeera. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
His commitment to jihad – to an Islamic revolution transcending national boundaries, was such that he dreamed one day the "green Islamic flag" would flutter not just over Pakistan and Afghanistan, but also over territories represented by the (former Soviet Union) Central Asian republics. After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, as the director-general of the Pakistan's intelligence organisation, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate, an impatient Gul wanted to establish a government of the so-called Mujahideen on Afghan soil. He then ordered an assault using non-state actors on Jalalabad, the first major urban centre across the Khyber Pass from Pakistan, with the aim capturing it and declaring it as the seat of the new administration. This was the spring of 1989 and a furious prime minister, Benazir Bhutto – who was kept in the dark by ... Gul and ... Mirza Aslam Beg – demanded that Gul be removed from the ISI.
- ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ Afghanistan War Infoplease.com, 22 July 2007
- ^ "Kashmiri youth remember freedom fighter". The Express Tribune. 7 May 2022.
- ^ "Bhutto Conspiracy Theories Fill the Air" Time, 28 December 2007
- ^ "Former ISI chief Hamid Gul passes away in Murree – The Express Tribune". 16 August 2015.
- ^ "Ex-Pakistan spy chief urges talks with Mullah Omar" Archived 11 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine CNN, 12 March 2010
- ^ "A joint venture of spooks", Business Recorder. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ "The legacy of Pakistan's loved and loathed Hamid Gul". Al Jazeera.
- ^ Masood, Salman (16 August 2015). "Hamid Gul, 78, Dies; Backed Militants in Leading Pakistan Spy Agency". The New York Times.
- ^ Sirmed, Marvi (18 August 2015). "Adieu General Hamid Gul". The Nation. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023.
General Gul was born to Punjabi Pakhtun family of Yousafzai descent that had migrated from Swat to Lahore, from where his Subedar Major (in the British Indian Army) father got arable land in Sargodha where Gul was born. His grand father participated in the Khilafat Movement while the family was still in Swat. His great grandfather, Faiz Khan, fought in the army (Jamiatul Mujahideen) under the command of Deobandi Islam's ideologue Syed Ismail Shaheed.
- ^ "When I met Hamid Gul - Anchal Vohra' Blog". 17 August 2015.
- ^ Hamid Hussain, "Undercover Chaos – Role of Pakistani Armed Forces Intelligence Agencies in Domestic Arena" Archived 24 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine Defence Journal, December 2005
- ^ Ayaz Amir, "Another myth of independence" Dawn, 23 May 2003
- ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ "Rebels without a cause". PBS. 29 August 1989. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
- The News (Pakistan), 30 August 2009
- ^ Editorial: What the generals must apologise for Daily Times, 1 February 2008
- ^ a b 'We are walking into the American trap' Rediff.com, 12 February 2004
- ^ Owen L. Sirrs, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate: Covert action and internal operations, Routledge (2016), p. 133
- ^ Abbas Nasir (17 August 2015), "The legacy of Pakistan's loved and loathed Hamid Gul", Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ God will destroy America, says Hamid Gul Daily Times, 30 August 2003
- ^ Hamid Gul Interview with Tehelka.com Robert-fisk.com, 14 September 2001
- ^ "UPI interview with Hamid Gul". www.upi.com.
- ^ Afghanistan Pakistan Imbroglio – Guest: General Hamid Gul. September 1, 2010., soundcloud.com. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ Ten Topics/Ten Shows Archived 16 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine, gunsandbutter.org. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ Frontline Pakistan: The Struggle with Militant Islam by Zahid Hussain, Columbia University Press, 2007, page 81-82.
- ^ Pakistan dictator lashes at 'plotters' The Australian, 19 March 2007
- ^ "Criticalppp". criticalppp.com. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.
- ^ Shakeel, Syed Faisal PPP demands probe based on Benazir’s letter Dawn (Pakistan), 30 December 2007
- ^ Al Jazeera – Reactions To Pakistan Emergency Al Jazeera, 4 November 2007
- ^ Former Pakistani Official Denies Links to Lashkar, The Washington Post, 9 December 2008
- ^ "Hamid Gul & LeT's Chachu may get official terrorist tag". The Economic Times. 6 December 2008.
- ^ "Hamid Gul: Taliban is the future". Al Jazeera. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ Rondeaux, Candace (9 December 2008). "Former Pakistani Intelligence Official Denies Aiding Group Tied to Mumbai Siege". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Zardari calls Hamid Gul political ideologue of terror rather than a physical supporter". The Nation. 15 December 2008. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013.
- ^ a b "General Hamid Gul, Pakistan spymaster – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- ^ Legg, Paul (27 August 2015). "Hamid Gul obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Wife of Gen (retd) Hamid Gul passes away". The News. 19 October 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Hamid Gul obituary". The Guardian. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Home". tjp.org.pk.
- ^ "UN's role over Kashmir lamentable: PU VC - University of the Punjab - News Updates".
- ^ "Former ISI chief Lt-Gen (Retd) Hamid Gul passes away". Raheel Amer. Samaa TV. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
- ^ "Ex-ISI chief, strategist Hamid Gul is no more – The Express Tribune". 16 August 2015.
External links
- Official website
- Profile of Hamid Gul, Pakistanileaders.com website. Retrieved 16 August 2015
- Afghan war portraits taken by photographer Declan Walsh of Getty Images, Gul's home in Rawalpindi, The Guardian Newspaper, 25 July 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2015
- Stein, Jeff. "The audacity of Hamid Gul." The Washington Post. 26 July 2010.
- "Gulled by Hamid Gul." The Washington Times. Friday 4 December 2009.
- Hamid Gul, the spy who went into the cold 2007 interview with Hamid Gul, the spy who went into the cold
Bibliography
- Zahid Hussain. Frontline Pakistan: The Struggle with Militant Islam, New York: Columbia University Press, 2007.
- Husain Haqqani. Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military, Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2005.