I never ordered Indians killed: Former ISI chief

Former head of Pak's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) Gen Hamid Gul has described the 91,000 leaked US military documents, which allege close connections between Pak and Taliban militants, as "fictional". Gul, DG of ISI from 1987 to 1989, said there was "much bashing of the ISI and of the army indirectly in this case, and they feel that I am probably a convenient whipping boy". Instead, Gul has blamed General Ashfaq Kayani, Pak’s present army chief.

Gul, who headed ISI when Pakistan and the US were supporting Islamist militants in their fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan, is mentioned a number of times throughout the leaked intelligence reports. In one report, Gul, who has been an outspoken supporter of the Taliban, is alleged to have dispatched three men in Dec 2006 to carry out attacks in Afghanistan's capital.

However, in an interview in Rawalpindi on Tue, Gul said that it was "fictional" and went on to say that "it only depicts the intelligence failure on the part of US and whoever else, but much of it, I think, has been contributed by Afghan intelligence".

Clearly pointing a finger at Pak, the Afghan government had said on Monday that the leaked documents verified Afghanistan's long-held view that the war won't end until terrorist sanctuaries in neighbouring nations are shut down.

But the ISI lashed out against the leaked reports alleging close connections between it and Taliban militants fighting NATO troops in Afghanistan, calling the accusations malicious and unsubstantiated.

The reports, which were released by the online whistle-blower 'Wikileaks', raised new questions about whether the US could succeed in convincing Pak to sever its historical links to the Taliban and deny them sanctuary along the Afghan border - actions that many analysts believe are critical for success in Afghanistan.

Pak helped the Taliban seize power in Afghanistan in the 1990s. Although the govt renounced the group in 2001 under US pressure, many analysts believe Pak refuses to sever links with the Taliban because it believes it could be a useful ally in Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw.

The reports, which cover a period from Jan 2004 to Dec 2009, suggest Pak allows representatives of its ISI agency to meet directly with the Taliban to organise militant networks that fight US troops in Afghanistan, and even hatch plots to assassinate Afghan leaders, according to The New York Times.

In one report from Mar 2008, the ISI is alleged to have ordered Siraj Haqqani, a prominent militant based in northwestern Pak, to kill workers from archenemy India who were building roads in Afghanistan. In another from Mar 2007, the ISI is alleged to have given Jalaluddin Haqqani, Siraj's father, 1,000 motorcycles to carry out suicide attacks in Afghanistan.

The Haqqanis run a military network based in Pak's North Waziristan tribal area that is believed to have close ties with the ISI. The US has given Pak billions in military aid since 2001 to enlist its cooperation, but it has had little success convincing Pak to target Afghan Taliban militants holed up in the country, especially members of the Haqqani network.