Iran Bombings: Former Pakistan Intelligence Chief Blames US

Iran: Taking Apart the Jundallah-US Narrative
Iran Discussion: The Bombings, Jundallah, and the US

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis

Colleagues at La Stampa have kindly passed us this interview with Hamid Gul, the former head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) by Syed Saleem Shahzad:

Islamabad: As Iran's President Ahmadinejad pointed his finger at Pakistani intelligence agencies for last Sunday's terrorist attack in Sistan-Baluchestan --- attributed to the Baluch insurgent group Jundallah --- which killed more than over 40 people, including six senior commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Pakistani defense analysts are blaming the attack on the British and American establishments as part of their design to destabilize the region Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan (PIA).

Leading this response, in an exclusive interview with La Stampa is retired Lieutenant Gul Hamid Gul, "The Iranians have overstepped in their assessment” former Director General Inter-Services Intelligence and prominent Pakistani defense analyst retired Lt. General Hamid Gul said in an exclusive interview with La Stampa:

Their assessment is not well versed with reality. There are several facts which create doubts about Pakistan as the Pakistani government is so much under the influence of Americans. However, there are certain other facts which should be taken under the consideration.

While Americans are present in the region their utmost effort is to destabilize this whole region of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan.

The immense American presence in Pakistan through its security contactors like Blackwater allow them to use Pakistani soil against Iran. Their operations in Baluchestan are along these lines.

On the record Americans have allocated $75 million to destabilize Iranian government. In reality the amount is $400 million. What a shame that a country openly allocates fund to destabilize another country.

Gul is mindful of the historical conflict between the two neighboring countries, Iran with its Shia majority and Pakistan as a Sunni Muslim country.
Nevertheless, the two countries had little dispute on the issue of Baluchestan and did not allow this regional conflict to provoke bitterness. Instead, Gul maintains, the Baluch issue has been manipulated by outsiders looking at wider contexts:

There are several issues which were exploited by the foreign powers for their purpose. There is a sense of deprivation among the Baluch population in Iran and the Sunnis also feel a little detached from the Islamic Revolution. At the same time in its foreign policy, Iran is more close to India than to Pakistan. Those are factors which were exploited by the western powers.

There is 900 km long border between the two countries but it completely unguarded, except of a very small presence of the para-military troops. This allows Americans and, even more than the Americans, the British --- whose officials have been playing up the intrigues in the region and who consider themselves as the experts --- to exploit the situation with the groups like Jundallah.

Sanity demands that both Iran and Pakistan understand the situation. President Ahmedinijad showed haste in making his statement but Ayatollah Khamenei showed statesmanship and did not blame Pakistan for the attack.