Pak Army summons EX-ISI head over book co-authored with EX-RAW chief

Pakistan's powerful army has summoned former ISI chief Asad Durrani on May 28 to seek clarification over a book he co-authored with India's ex-spy chief AS Dulat, accusing him of 'violating' the military code of conduct.

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

The Pakistan Army in a statement said that Durrani, 77, was being called to General Headquarters (GHQ) on May 28 and "will be asked to explain his position on views attributed to him in book 'Spy Chronicles'."

"Attribution is taken as a violation of Military Code of Conduct applicable to all serving and retired military personnel," according to the statement issued on Friday night.

Durrani was summoned after ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday demanded an urgent meeting of the high-powered National Security Committee (NSC) to discuss the content of the book.

Durrani made specific observations in the book, including a claim that then prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani was entirely on board regarding the Abbottabad US Navy Seals operation against Osama Bin Laden and that an exclusive deal had been struck between the US and Pakistani governments over it, media reports said.

He also went on to suggest that Pakistan mishandled the case of Indian national Kulbushan Jadhav, sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on spying charges.

Former chairman, Pakistan Senate Raza Rabbani, criticised the book by rival spy chiefs.

"Had a politician done the same thing he would have been labelled a traitor," Raza Rabbani said. AGENCIES