Dhaka, Oct 25 (V7N) — John Kiriakou, former senior official of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), has claimed that during General Pervez Musharraf’s rule in Pakistan, the United States effectively controlled the country’s nuclear weapons. He made the statement in an interview with the Indian news agency ANI.

Kiriakou, who headed the CIA’s counter-terrorism operations, said that Musharraf handed over control of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal to the US in exchange for substantial financial aid. “After 2001, US influence in Pakistan increased so much that it was like buying Pervez Musharraf for money,” he said.

He added that during his tenure, huge sums of aid were given to Pakistan, but the destination and use of the money were largely unknown. Musharraf’s fear that nuclear weapons might fall into the hands of terrorists prompted him to give Washington effective control over them.

Kiriakou also revealed new details about Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden’s escape from Afghanistan to Pakistan. According to him, a translator working for a commander of the US Army’s Central Command was secretly an Al-Qaeda spy, who helped bin Laden flee the Tora Bora mountains disguised as a woman wearing a burqa.

Additionally, Kiriakou dismissed previous claims that Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear program, had been targeted or killed on the orders of Saudi Arabia.

International analysts say the US wielded its greatest influence inside Pakistan during Musharraf’s tenure, shaping both domestic and strategic policies. Kiriakou’s revelations shed new light on this controversial period in Pakistan-US relations.

END/SMA/AJ