Islamabad, Feb 5 : Pakistan's former Chief of General Staff Lt Gen (retd) Shahid Aziz has disclosed how military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf kept his corps commanders in the dark about a secret deal with the US during the Afghanistan invasion.
“A majority of the corps commanders were of the view that Pakistan should not side with the US in its efforts to invade Afghanistan,” he told The Express Tribune.
Lt Gen (retd) Shahid Aziz disclosed that top military commanders had reached a consensus to remain neutral in the event of a US operation in Afghanistan, following the 9/11 attacks.
Lt Gen Shahid was holding the key post of Chief of General Staff (CGS) at the General Headquarters at the time of the US' military offensive against the Afghan Taliban.
Aziz recalled how Gen Musharraf had extensive and intense discussions with corps commanders to discuss Pakistan's response to the US' demands of supporting the Afghan war.
“Some of the participants, including General Aziz Ahmed Khan and General Jamshed Gulzar Kayani, opposed the idea of ditching the Taliban,” Gen Shahid claimed.
Following the discussions, Musharraf assured the military commanders that Pakistan would neither support the US nor the Taliban, he added.
“We will remain neutral,” he quoted Musharraf as saying.
However, a few months later, it emerged that contrary to the decision, Musharraf had already struck a deal with the US.
“I came to know through my own sources that Jacobabad and Pasni airbases were being used by Americans for the operation in Afghanistan,” Gen Shahid said, adding that it was a shocking revelation that Musharraf had not only permitted US forces to use the country's airspace but also its airbases.
“I took up this issue with him (Gen Musharraf) but he said he knew what was in Pakistan's best interest,” Gen Shahid disclosed.
When pressed on how a CGS, who is considered second-in-command of the Army, remained clueless of the important decision, the retired general said: “Gen Musharraf only shared information on a need to know basis.”
He said his advice to the former president was that Pakistan must not launch any operation in tribal areas as it would have negative consequences.
Gen Shahid also recently claimed in his book that only four generals knew about the Kargil operation.
His revelations led to calls for judicial investigations into the 1999 Kargil conflict that derailed the peace process between India and Pakistan.
