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John Kiriakou, former CIA Officer, says US in a way ‘purchased’ Pervez Musharraf and that Pakistani leaders were mired in corruption.
Pakistan’s (now former) President Pervez Musharraf (L) salutes the audience as he leaves a news conference with (now former) US President George W. Bush in the East Room at the White House in Washington in 2006. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)
John Kiriakou, former CIA Officer, said Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharraf handed over control of its nuclear weapons to US’ Pentagon and that Washington in a way ‘purchased’ him.
“When I was stationed in Pakistan in 2002, I was told unofficially that the Pentagon controlled the Pakistani nuclear arsenal, that Musharraf had turned control over to the United States,” Kiriakou said.
“Our relations with the Pakistani government were very, very good. It was General Pervez Musharraf at the time. And look, let’s be honest here. The United States loves working with dictators. Because then you don’t have to worry about public opinion and you don’t have to worry about the media anymore. And so we essentially just purchased Musharraf,” he said, in a conversation with news agency YEARS.
“We gave millions and millions and millions of dollars in aid, whether it was military aid or economic development aid. And we would meet with Musharraf regularly, several times a week. And essentially he would let us do whatever we wanted to do. Yes. But Musharraf also had his own people that he needed to deal with,” he further added.
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has covered se…Read More
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has covered se… Read More
October 25, 2025, 09:00 IST
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