Durrani challenges military court's decision in IHC

Pleads court to reinstate his pension, benefits

RAWALPINDI: Former ISI chief Lt General (retd) Asad Durrani has challenged in the Islamabad High Court the decision by a military court which found him guilty of violating the military code of conduct for co-authoring 'The Spy Chronicles'.

On February 22, DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor had announced that Durrani was "no more entitled to pension and facilities and his name has been placed on the Exit Control List".

In his application filed on Monday, the former ISI DG stated that his book was not a violation of military code of conduct, and that the verdict against him was illegal.

He requested the IHC to set aside the military court’s decision, and reinstate his pension and all other benefits.

Durrani's book had triggered a countrywide controversy in which he claimed that then prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was fully onboard regarding the US Navy Seals operation against Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad and that a special deal was struck between the US and Pakistani governments in this regard.

He also went on to suggest that Pakistan mishandled the case of convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jhadav, claiming that he would eventually be handed over to India.

Durrani, who was put on the ECL in May 2019, had defended his decision to pen the book with former RAW chief AS Dulat and Indian journalist Aditya Sinha.

He told The Express Tribune that the book was merely an exercise involving two people with extensive experience in Pakistan-India affairs coming together to record their perspectives.