Are you really surprised? As long ago as 2008, the New York Times revealed that Pakistan was funneling money it got from the US to fight the Taliban and al-Qaeda to the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Congress, characteristically, responded by increasing aid to Pakistan. They have played us for suckers for years.
“Watch: Pervez Musharraf Says ‘Osama bin Laden Was Pakistan’s Hero,'” ANI, November 14, 2019 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in an interview admitted that Kashmiris were “trained in Pakistan” as Mujahideen to fight against the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir. He also called jihadi terrorists as Pakistan’s “heroes”. He also said that terrorists Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Jalaluddin Haqqani, and others were “Pakistan’s heroes”.
In an undated interview clip shared by Pakistani politician Farhatullah Babar on Wednesday on Twitter, Pervez Musharraf can be heard saying, “Kashmiris who came to Pakistan received a hero reception here. We used to train them and support them. We considered them as Mujahideen who will fight with the Indian Army. Then, various terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba rose in this period. They (jihadi terrorists) were our heroes.”
During the interview, Gen (retd) Musharraf also said that terrorist like Osama bin Laden and Jalaluddin Haqqani were “Pakistani heroes”.
“In 1979, we had introduced religious militancy in Afghanistan to benefit Pakistan, and to push the Soviets out of the country. We brought Mujahideen from all over the world, we trained them and supplied weapons to them. We trained the Taliban, sent them in. They were our heroes. Haqqani was our hero. Osama bin Laden was our hero. Ayman al-Zawahiri was our hero. Then the global environment changed. The world started viewing things differently. Our heroes were turned into villains.”…
Angemon says
This is odd – I keep hearing that it was the US who created al-qaeda and the taliban. Well, what does Pervez Musharraf know?!?!?!/ sarc. off…
gravenimage says
+1
mortimer says
Gen. Pervez Musharraf (ret’d Pak Army) is speaking plainly and with honesty. Indeed, every word is accurate and no exaggeration.
It is likely many in Pakistan to this day believe those terrorists are heroes for forcing the Soviets to abandon Afghanistan.
The only point on which I disagree with him is when he says ‘the world turned on … (the terrorists)’. He omits mentioning 9-11 and other terrorist events by the terrorists that Musharraf had trained.
Musharraf created a Frankenstein’s monster that led to the creation eventually of ISIS. Of course, the US encouraged Pakistan to create the insurgency in Pakistan, but the US did not expect that this ‘monster’ would be turned on the West.
Musharraf is likely that man who authorized Bin Laden’s safe house next to the Pakistani military college.
Ramu says
What better proof does the UN want? Pakistan gave birth to terrorists and supported them, all ways. India is bearing the brunt of this.
elee says
How long have these people been legendary for lethal perfidy? Yet another instance of Yanks refusing to learn from the Empire experience.
mortimer says
Agree with Robert Spencer: Musharraf and his successors played the West for suckers. The current Pak PM is openly a jihadist. The Pak education system will create a jihad army if they don’t stop their fanatical indoctrination immediately. Pakistan will be militarily crushed if it takes anymore steps in the direction of jihad. It will be a catastrophic defeat and bloody carnage for everyone in the region.
Phil Copson says
“….This is odd – I keep hearing that it was the US who created al-qaeda and the taliban. Well, what does Pervez Musharraf know?!?!?!/ sarc. off…”
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No – you must be getting things mixed-up: I expect that what you meant to say was that “Israel created ISIS” / “Islam is a religion of peace” / “Communism makes everybody equal” / “Mohammed was a feminist” etc.
One that really is true is Merkel’s Dictum; “Wir schaffen das” (“We Can Do This”) – she’s unarguably done something to Europe – it’s just that she had a rather different “this” in mind from the one she wanted others to believe she meant….
mortimer says
Response: Musharraf should write a tell-all book about it. It will confirm much of what we suspected. Pakistan could stop the Taliban if it wished.
Under Musharraf, the Pak army was filled with top rank officers who were virtually Taliban themselves.
Walter Sieruk says
Since Osama been Laden is mistaken for “hero” on Pakistan serves and an example of how Islam can confused and warp the human mind. To the extreme extent that this may apply to the Bible verse of Isaiah 5:20 which reads “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil…” [N.J.K.V.]
Furthermore after bin Laden’s elimination he was buried at sea. There had been by Muslim clerics, such as the imams of Pakistan , had the gall they complain the bin laden did not revived and proper Islamic burial because he was buried in the ocean and all Muslim according to Islamic tradition. For Muslims are buried under the ground and not at sea. To that outlandish statement, made by the Muslim clerics may be answered in in two ways. First, the sea burial that bin Laden received was a lot more dignified and respectful then the type of “burial” that many of the victims of murderous affront had that occurred on September 11, 2001.. Many of the people who were murdered on 9/11 only had a few bones and teeth left. In contrast the body of bin laden was buried mostly intact.
Second ,after 9/11 many Muslim apologists for Islam ,in America ,many times had made the claim that Osama bin Laden was not real Muslim and that he just “Hijacked the peaceful religion of Islam “ for “politics.” If that’s actually the case and not some kind of cover-up to hide the truth from the American public then all those Muslim clerics really had nothing to complain about if that claim is true that bin Laden was not a “real Muslim.”
Infidel says
Correct the headline, RS – Musharraf was Pakistan’s president, not prime minister.
Yeah, that was obvious from day 1. Pakistan is as much an enemy of the US as it is of India: the Pakis hate both! To Khizr Khan and others who want more Pakis into the US – ?? you!
gravenimage says
Pakistan: Former Prime Minister Musharraf says “Osama bin Laden was Pakistan’s hero”
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This should surprise no one–Osama bin Laden being found steps away from Pakistan’s most prestigious military academy was another clue. So glad the US has cut aid to these Jihadi thugs.
Blurb1000 says
Obama bin Laden is Pakistans hero. No doubt.
gravenimage says
So true, Blurb.
infidel says
Is this any surprise that some of the worst thugs and mass murderers of humanity are Islaam’s heroes.
peter says
By the same corollary Ronnie Regan was also Pakistan!a hero !
Infidel says
No. they just took advantage of his single-minded opposition to Communism, and at the time, Islam was nowhere on the radar. Also, for Indians who’re opposed to US policy at the time, India was a country that was busy appeasing both Communism and Islam, so the West had absolutely no reason to factor in their interests. It’s one thing to argue that the American approach to Pakistan then was shortsighted, but completely another to suggest that India would have been a better ally, when it was in bed w/ both the Communists, like the likes of Brezhnev and Gorbachev, and w/ Muslims like the Palis. Oh, and Indian leaders were proud of the Islamic parts of Indian history, unlike the current regime that’s trying to disown it
peter says
I an in no way condoning what the Indian leaders like Nehru ,Gandhi and the congress leaders were doing in whitewashing the Moghul period . We are still paying for it now but to say that Ronnie was a great political genius is stretching it too far and I do not think he had the fortitude or deep grasp of international affair much like Geroge Bush !
Infidel says
In that era, he was dealing w/ Communism, and back in the day, Islam was not the treat that it’s been since the end of the Cold War. The Arab empire was split b/w pro-Soviet Arab socialists like Nasser, Assad, Saddam on one hand, and various kingdoms and sheikhdoms on the other, that had loose business ties w/ the West. The only champions of Islam, aside from Pakistan, were the Palestinians, and after 1979, Iran. Turkey, as a reference, was still a very Kemalist country very keen on becoming a part of the EU.
There was a bit of a consolidation of Islamic forces in 1991 when the Babri Masjid was demolished, when every Muslim country joined hands in condemning India. That was when India had the sense to establish full diplomatic relations w/ Israel. However, Islam still never became an open cause celebre until 9/11, after which geopolitics was changed forever.
Reagan was a genius when it came to handling Communism and seeing it off. What happened vis a vis Islam happened a while after he was gone, so there’s no point in holding that against him. For that, the Bushes are fair game – 41 for pressurizing Israel to accept the Oslo accords, and 43 for believing everything that Musharraf told him
gravenimage says
Pretending that Ronald Reagan was a Jihadist is silly at best.
Gork says
Yawn. Tell me something I didn’t already know.