Former DG ISI Hamid Gul dies

Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief, Lieutenant General (r) Hameed Gul died of brain haemorrhage yesterday at the age of 79, his daughter Uzma Gul informed media.

According to family members, former DG ISI Lt-Gen.(r) Hamid Gul was on vacation in Murree with his family where he suffered brain haemorrhage. He was admitted to Combined Military Hospital Murree.

The doctors tried their best to save him but he could not survive. The doctors pronounced him dead late last night.

His family members said he was suffering from high blood pressure for quite some time.

The former spymaster had an eventful life and was widely regarded as great soldier and core to his heart Pakistani who was among the front runners for the cause of Pakistan and Islam.

Hamid Gul
His commitment to Pakistan and its solidarity was impeccable and that was the reason he was quite harsh and vocal against India and opposed to cultivating friendly relations with New Delhi without resolving the core issue of Kashmir.

His commitment with the Kashmir cause often landed him in controversy as he was ardent supporter of the indigenous armed freedom struggle by the people of Held Kashmir.

He also came under criticism the way he overtly supported and justified the Afghan Taliban armed struggle against US invasion and was of considered view that America would have to lick the dust in Afghanistan like Soviet Union had.

At the time of Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Lt-Gen Hamid Gul was DG ISI and it was widely believed that he had played a key role in the defeat of Soviet Union in Afghanistan. In those days he was dubbed as ‘father of Taliban.’

Lieutenant General Hamid Gul son of Muhammad Khan was born on 20th November, 1936 in the suburbs of Sargodha. Before his birth, his forefathers had shifted from Lahore to Sargodha.

Gul got his early education from his village school and did his matriculation with flying colors. He got admission in Government College, Lahore, but in the meantime joined Pakistan Army and reported to PMA Kakul in 18th Long Course.

Gul was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in 1958 in the Armored Corps (19 Lancers). He was a tank commander at the Chiwanda front during the 1965 war with India.

During 1972-1976, Gul directly served under General Muhammad Ziaul Haq as a battalion commander, when General Zia was GOC, 1st Armored Division and commander of II Corps at Multan. Gul was promoted to brigadier in 1978 and steadily rose to be the commander of the 1st Armored Division, Multan in 1980. Gul was then sent to GHQ as the DG Military Intelligence (DGMI) under General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq who then nominated him to be the ISI chief succeeding General Akhtar Abdur Rahman in March 1987. He was later replaced as the ISI commander by PM Benazir Bhutto in May 1989 and Gul was transferred as the commander, II Corps in Multan.

In this capacity, General Gul conducted the Zarb-e-Momin military exercise in November-December 1989, the biggest Pakistani Armed Forces show of muscles since 1971 Indo-Pakistani War and till now.

General Asif Nawaz upon taking the reins of Pakistan Army in August 1991, had Gul transferred as the DG Heavy Industries Taxila. Gul refused to take the assignment on the account that it wasn’t in line with his military training. He developed differences with the then army chief and was retired from the army in 1992.