Secret document confirms Hameed Gul wanted by US
Ansar Abbasi, Pakistan Daily News, Dec 7 2008

A secret US document, marked as releasable to the Government of Pakistan, has linked former Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Gul to the Taliban and al-Qaeda networks. The two-page unsigned document had already been provided to the government, a knowledgeable source revealed to the News here on Saturday on condition of anonymity. He said Gul had been charged in the paper with providing financial assistance to Kabul-based criminal groups and involvement in spotting, assessing, recruiting and training young men from seminaries. The recruits are reportedly trained for attacks on the US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan. The ex-general, according to the source, has been accused of assisting the Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in developing high-tech weapons. In Washington, the State Department Deputy Spokesman Robert Wood had declined to comment on earlier reports that such a list had been sent to the UN. “If we decide to send names, we will let the media know,” he responded to a question on the subject on Thursday. But the document seen by the News reveals the US had sent the name of Lt-Gen Hameed Gul to the Government of Pakistan. Gul is one of the five erstwhile ISI officials whose names Washington has recommended to the UNSC for inclusion in the list of international terrorists.

When contacted by this scribe, Gul laughed off the charges which, according to him, are simply hilarious. He promised to come up with a para-wise response to the charges levelled against him on Sunday or Monday. As per the paper, his name is spelled as Lieutenant General (retired) Hamid Gul, Hameed Gul and Haimid Gul. He was born on March 14, 1937 in Sargodha, reads the document, which says his address is Defence Colony in Peshawar, though he lives in Rawalpindi. His passport number, according to the document, is BA479001. Since at least 2005, the paper says, Hameed Gul has also provided financial and material support to the Taliban and has supported militant training camps in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. As of late 2006, Gul allegedly directed a Taliban operative to head a militant training camp:

Lieutenant General (retired) Hamid Gul was Director-General of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) from 1987-1989. Hamid Gul has maintained extensive contacts over the years with Taliban and al-Qaeda operatives located in Pakistan, providing financial support and encouragement to these groups. In 2005, Hamid Gul provided general, over-arching guidance to the Taliban leadership on operational activities in Afghanistan. In 2008, Hamid Gul was in contact with the militant group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its leadership, including Baitullah Mahsud, and provided the TTP leadership and operatives with guidance on the conduct of militant operations in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. Hamid Gul was a regular contact for Sirajuddin Haqqani and regularly apprised Sirajuddin of Pakistan government activity in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). As of early 2007, Gul was involved in spotting, assessing, and recruiting young men from various Pakistani Madrassas for training in eventual attacks against US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan. The training consisted of techniques for laying mines, arson and suicide bombings. As of late 2006, Gul was also involved in the training camps. In late 2006, Gul provided money to a Kabul-based criminal group for every International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) member that the group kidnapped and turned over to the Taliban. In addition to these kidnapping-for-ransom activities, this criminal group sold weapons and explosives to the Taliban and acted as travel facilitators for Taliban members in Afghanistan. As of mid-2008, Gul has knowledge of the resettlement of al-Qaeda members from Iraq to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.

Haqqani is a top Taliban commander, added to the UN1267 Committee’s consolidated list of individuals and entities associated with al-Qaeda or the Taliban on Sep 13 2007. He was named specially designated global terrorist pursuant to EO13224, on Mar 11 2008. Gul was on the board of directors of Umman Tameer-e-Nau (UTN), a non-governmental organisation formed to help the Taliban and al-Qaeda networks develop high-tech weapons, the paper charges. The UN1267 Committee added the UTN to its consolidated list of individuals and entities associated with al-Qaeda or the Taliban on Dec 24 2001. The UTN was named a specially designated global terrorist pursuant to EO13224 on Dec 20 2001.

Hamid Gul says he was not in loop with Al-Qaeda
Pakistan Daily News, Updates, Dec 8 2008

Former Director General of ISI rejected all allegations regarding his connection with banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba and also about his involvement in any terrorist activities. This he said in an interview to US based TV channel, and added further, “Whatever happens in India, it is in habit of putting blames on others.” Referring to Shumjhota Express massacre he said earlier India put blame on Pakistan but later it was proved that insiders were involved in the incident. Former DG ISI further said that he is not involved in terrorist activities nor was in connection with Lashkar-e-Taiba. He stressed that the new Government under Obama should reconsider US policies of war against terror. He was of the view that in order to solve problem in Afghanistan US and allies have to talk with Taliban. Earlier, a US secret document has declared ISI former chief, General Hameed Gul maintaining links with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda network besides being involved in arranging financial assistance to them. The two-page unsigned document had already been provided to the government. Sources on the condition of anonymity told that Hameed Gul had been blamed for arranging financial assistance to the criminal groups operating in Kabul beside he has been involved in recruiting the youths from seminaries and giving them training in subversion, who allegedly launch assaults on the Allied Forces with high-tech weapons.