A former spy chief has said claimed there is no proof of Jamaat-ud-Dawa’s involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that led to the killings of over 150 people.
“When you provide weapon to ideology, it cannot be turned on and off at will,” former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Zaheerul Islam told Center for Development – Pakistan.
Islam also drew parallel between Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), calling the former a ‘more lethal group’.
“Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is a more lethal outfit than TTP because it has taken the fight into the cities,” said the former ISI chief in his first interview since his retirement.
Replying to a query about end to conflicts in the region, Islam said a third party intervention is needed to bring Pakistan and India to agreeable formula on Kashmir dispute.
About geo-strategic implication of CPEC for Pakistan and region, he said, “There is no free lunch in this world. We have to be very careful in our minds that they are going to earn far more from us.”
The former ISI chief stressed balancing of relationship between the two countries.
“CPEC is a small part of China’s strategy of South Asia and Middle East. Traffic will flow all around, from Russia, Afghanistan, Iran and China will connect to all these countries,” said Islam.
