Former CIA Agent Alleges US "Purchased" Musharraf for Nuclear Access
A former high-ranking CIA officer has made startling claims about the extent of US influence over Pakistan during Pervez Musharraf's regime. John Kiriakou, who served as the CIA's chief of counterterrorism operations in Pakistan, alleged that Musharraf effectively handed control of the country's nuclear arsenal to the United States. Kiriakou stated that Washington "essentially purchased" the former Pakistani president with vast sums of military and economic aid.
Unchecked Access and a Double Game
In an interview with ANI, Kiriakou painted a picture of near-total US access to Pakistan's security apparatus under Musharraf. "We gave millions and millions of dollars in aid... and Musharraf let us do whatever we wanted," he claimed. This included, according to Kiriakou, control over the nation's nuclear weapons program.
However, Kiriakou also accused Musharraf of playing a dangerous double game. While publicly aligning with the US on counterterrorism, particularly against Al-Qaeda, Musharraf allegedly allowed Pakistan's military and extremist elements to continue supporting terror activities directed at India. "The Pakistani military didn’t care about Al-Qaeda; they cared about India," Kiriakou stated.
Saudi Arabia's Role in Protecting AQ Khan
Kiriakou also revealed another significant claim regarding Abdul Qadeer Khan, the architect of Pakistan's nuclear bomb. He asserted that the US abandoned plans to potentially eliminate Khan due to direct intervention from Saudi Arabia. "If we had taken the Israeli approach, we would have just killed him," Kiriakou said. "But the Saudis came to us and said, 'Please leave him alone. We like AQ Khan. We're working with him.'"
He described this decision, allegedly made at the White House level instructing both the CIA and the IAEA to back off, as a major policy error driven by Saudi insistence. Kiriakou speculated that Saudi Arabia's protection of Khan might have been linked to its own nuclear ambitions.
Critique of US Foreign Policy
The former CIA officer offered a blunt critique of American foreign policy, accusing Washington of hypocrisy. "We like to pretend we're a beacon of democracy and human rights. But it's just not true - we do what benefits us that day," he said, noting the US comfort level working with dictators. He described the US-Saudi relationship as purely transactional based on oil and weapons. Kiriakou concluded by observing a shift in global power, suggesting the US no longer needs Saudi oil and that nations like Saudi Arabia, China, and India are reshaping the world order.
