Sat Oct 25 03:43:08 UTC 2025: News Article:
Ex-CIA Officer Claims US “Purchased” Musharraf, Ignored Pakistan Corruption
Washington D.C. – Former CIA officer John Kiriakou has made explosive claims about the U.S.’s relationship with Pakistan under the leadership of former President Pervez Musharraf, alleging that the U.S. essentially “purchased” him with millions of dollars in aid.
In an interview with ANI, Kiriakou, who served 15 years in the CIA, stated that the U.S. preferred working with dictators like Musharraf to circumvent public opinion and media scrutiny. He claimed the U.S. poured millions into Pakistan in military and economic aid, and in return, Musharraf allowed the U.S. to operate freely within the country.
However, Kiriakou asserted that Musharraf was walking a tightrope, balancing U.S. counterterrorism demands with the interests of the Pakistani military, which was primarily focused on India. He alleges that Musharraf allowed extremist groups to operate against India while feigning cooperation with the U.S. on counterterrorism efforts. Kiriakou noted that tensions between India and Pakistan were heightened around the 2001 Parliament attack.
Kiriakou also voiced concerns about the instability of Pakistani politics, fearing that internal disagreements could spill onto the streets.
Furthermore, Kiriakou shed light on the alleged corruption within Pakistan’s political elite, recounting an anecdote involving former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, highlighting their lavish lifestyle while the Pakistani people struggled with poverty.
Kiriakou questioned how Pakistani politicians could face their constituents when the country was facing immense problems. He bemoaned that the Pakistani public have to deal with such politicians!
Kiriakou’s claims come in the wake of renewed scrutiny of U.S. foreign policy and its relationships with authoritarian regimes. This coincides with details from Musharraf’s autobiography, “In the Line of Fire,” where he described war-gaming the United States as an adversary and concluding that Pakistan could not withstand a confrontation. Musharraf said Pakistan’s military would have been wiped out, its economy could not be sustained, and the nation lacked the unity needed for such a confrontation.
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