Al Qaeda funded ISI to destabilise Benazir’s govt: former FIA official

* Mumtaz says Osama bin Laden paid millions of dollars to ISI

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: The Al Qaeda funded the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to destabilise the Benazir Bhutto’s government in 1988, a private TV channel quoted former Federal Investigation Agency director Malik Mumtaz as saying on Thursday.

According to the channel, Mumtaz said former premier Nawaz Sharif, former ISI chief General (r) Asad Durrani, Brigadier (r) Imtiaz and Major (r) Amir allegedly hatched the plot against BB’s government.

He said he had come to know by a friend that the intelligence agencies were trying to find out PPP legislators to join PML-N and agencies wanted to bribe them for changing their loyalties. He claimed that he did not join the conspiracy, instead informed the PPP leadership that what was going on.

Mumtaz said Osama bin Laden was behind the conspiracy and had paid millions of dollars to the ISI.

Talking to the channel, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal rejected the allegations. Talking to the channel, former director general of Intelligence Bureau Brigadier (r) Imtiaz also rejected the allegations. He said charges were completely false and “mysterious elements” within the Pakistan People’s Party were behind the conspiracy of destabilising Pakistan.

Recently, former Intelligence Bureau director general Brigadier (r) Imtiaz had confessed that the unearthing of an alleged map of Jinnah Pur – one-time proposed homeland for Urdu speaking population of urban Sindh, in 1992 was a drama, a private TV reported. “It was a drama that was aimed at detaching various sections of the nation from each other,” Imtiaz who was a major player in 1992 operation against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) – then Muhajir Qaumi Movement. “We found no such map from any office of the MQM during the operation in 1992. It was nothing but a drama.” Brig (r) Imtiaz said that then president, prime minister and the army chief were aware of all the decisions taken in connection of the operation and in its aftermath at that time.