Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Chief Lt-Gen Asad Durrani (retd) has been found guilty of violating the military code of conduct after he co-authored a book 'The Spy Chronicles' with AS Dulat, the former chief of India's spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said this on Friday at a press briefing.
The DG ISPR said that a Court of Inquiry was ordered against Durrani after he co-authored a controversial book with Amarjit Singh (AS) Dulat. "An inquiry against him is under way. Durrani has been found guilty of violating the military code of conduct. He is no more entitled to pension and perks that a military officer gets and his name has been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL)," said the DG ISPR.
With regards to reports that two military officers are also under military custody, the DG ISPR said, "Two senior military officials are under arrest for espionage. The Army Chief has ordered their court martial." He further said that the two officials in question "are not part of a network." Durrani, who headed ISI from August 1990 till March 1992, and former RAW chief AS Dulat had published the book titled 'The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace' in India last year.
An inquiry was launched against Durrani last year for publishing 'The Spy Chronicles.' He had also been summoned to the General Headquarters (GHQ) in May last when a formal Court of Inquiry headed by a serving lieutenant general was conducted to probe the matter in detail, where he was asked to explain his position on views attributed to him in the book.
The former ISI chief was summoned after deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had demanded an urgent meeting of the high-powered National Security Committee (NSC) to discuss the book.
The then Chairman Senate, Raza Rabbani, had also criticised the book and said if it was written by a civilian, he would have been branded as traitor. In the book, the two former spy chiefs have touched upon controversial incidents including terrorism, particularly the Mumbai attacks, Kashmir and the influence of intelligence agencies. Durrani had revealed that Track-II Diplomacy had been in place since long to avert war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.