ISLAMABAD: Abdullah Gul is a man of deep insight into important national issues like security of Pakistan, regional and international fast- changing strategies. He is among few Pakistanis who can study post Taliban takeover situation in Afghanistan . He like his legendry father, General Hameed Gul, is a composed person who believes in practicability rather than drawing hollow plans.
NEWSMAN interviewed Abdullah Gul at his residence in Rawalpindi garrison on fast-changing Afghan situation and its possible impact on the region and beyond. He like his father thinks twice before uttering anything, particularly, when it comes to security of Pakistan which matters him the most.
Abdullah Gul seemed seriously concerned over the government’s decision of granting the evacuees mostly Americans a 3- week long stay in Islamabad hotels. He questioned as to why only Pakistan is solely offering such a facility to Americans evacuees?. He believes grant of stay for three weeks to American evacuees in Islamabad is more than absolutely YES. He claimed grant of such an undue facility is making entire plan dubious and it’s a matter of serious concern to entire Pakistani nation.
Abdullah Gul said “I ‘m not against evacuation of those who want to leave Afghanistan but I do have the right to ask prime minister Iman Khan, what allured him to make Pakistan a sole host of American evacuees after evacuation from Afghanistan”.
He said it takes only half an hour extra than Pakistan to airlift evacuees to New Delhi but India despite having strategic partnership refused to accept US evacuees like Pakistan. He reminded that Pakistan was not a strategic partner to US and in the given scenario Pakistan decision to host US evacuees in Islamabad hotels for three weeks was nothing less than a deep conspiracy. Abdullah Gul said Russian president, Vladimir Putin, had categorically refused to accept any Evacuees for obvious reasons, but Pakistan government even did not follow him while taking the decision of hosting US evacuees in Islamabad.
Abdullah Gul strongly believes Imran government has some undeclared understanding with US and under the same it offered US the facility of hosting US evacuees for three weeks long period.
“Airlifting from Kabul to Islamabad takes around two hours and why can n’t these evacuees travel to their countries after short stay of few hours in Pakistan”, Abdullah Gul questioned.
Referring Kabul airport bombing attack, Abdullah Gul said it seems a deep rooted conspiracy and those who carried out such a heinous crime cannot be other than some US facilitated group. He said the site of the incident was under US troops control and in my opinion bombing at Kabul airport might have been carried out some US network.
‘You study the history of CIA it works in the same fashion. It organizes such attacks before starting some deadly game in any country”, , Abdullah Gul claimed.
He apprehended that US may use Kabul bombing to blame other countries for holding them responsible of their defeat in Afghanistan. He strongly believes Taliban despite initial problems will emerge as a good administrators to establish peace in war- torn Afghanistan.