Gen Hameed Gul's claim

In a function held at a hotel in Faisalabad on the first anniversary of the WTC bombing, the former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan, General (Retd) Gul Hameed stated that the Taliban or Osama were not responsible for the WTC bombing. He also defended the Taliban and declared that Osama was not a terrorist but a mujahid. The following is an account of his speech as reported in Dawn, September 12, 2002.

Taliban, Osama not behind WTC attack, claims Gul

By Our Staff Correspondent

FAISALABAD, Sept 11: Former chief of the ISI Gen Hameed Gul (retired) has said that Taliban or Osama bin Laden were not involved in the Sept 11 incident.

"In fact, this was planned by the Jews for ruining the Muslims," he said while speak­ing at a function at a local hotel on Tuesday night.

He said that in different parts of the world Muslims were being murdered in the name of "war against terror" by the USA, Israel and their allies.

He said that the attack on Afghanistan by the so-called coalition forces was also a plan of the Israel and America which should be opposed by all Islamic countries.

The setting up of a caretaker government in Afghanistan was not a success of the USA.

The Taliban were not against any country or religion but they launched 'jihad' for peace and tranquillity in Afghanistan. The Taliban were not corrupt and wanted to make Afghanistan a model Islamic state for which they had sacrificed their lives.

He said that no head of the state or any renowned person of the world approached Taliban for providing them with shelter or food. But when they began dem­olition of Buddha statues, the entire world started offering them lucrative incentives.

He said that there was a false propaganda against the Taliban that they confined the women in houses by banning their educa­tion and work in the offices. In fact, the Taliban wanted' some time to evolve comprehensive policies for women with the help ofulema.

He claimed that Osama bin Laden was not an American agent. He was a 'mujahid' who took part in the Afghan Jihad against the former USSR. Osama was not interested in money as he was the son of a wealthy Sheikh who had provided funds to the Bush family and some top NGOs of the USA.

Source: Dawn (Karachi). September 12, 2002.

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