Call NSC meeting to discuss content of book authored by spy chief of India, Pak: Sharif

Pakistan’s ousted premier Nawaz Sharif today demanded an urgent meeting of the high-powered National Security Committee (NSC) to discuss the content of a book co-authored by former spy chiefs of Pakistan and India.

AS Dulat and Gen Asad Durrani. PHOTO: EXPRESS

Lieutenant General (retd) Asad Durrani, who headed the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency from August 1990 till March 1992, along with Indian former RAW chief AS Dulat has written “The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace”. The book was released on Wednesday.

Sharif demanded that whatever Durrani wrote in the book should also be discussed in the meeting of NSC, days after a similar meeting was convened by the Committee to condemn his statement over the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, in an attempt to draw a parallel to his remarks.

In an interview to the Dawn newspaper earlier this month, Sharif had said: “Militant organizations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can’t we complete the trial?

The Committee later condemned his remarks, irking Sharif, who is trying to resurrect his image after being disqualified by the Supreme Court on July 28 last year.

Separately, former chairman Senate Raza Rabbani and prominent leader of Pakistan Peoples’ Party also criticised the joint book by rival spy chiefs.

“It is shocking that on the one hand Pakistan and India relations are at an all-time low and on the other hand, former spy chiefs of both the countries are teaming up to write a book, the former Senate chairman said.

He said a lot of noise would have been made had a civilian teamed up with the RAW chief to write a book.

“Had a politician done the same thing he would have been labeled a traitor,” Rabbani said.