Former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou has ignited a fresh controversy by revealing that Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party attempted to force him into apologizing for his analytical remarks about conventional military capabilities between India and Pakistan.
The Confrontation Over Military Analysis
Kiriakou shared his professional assessment of the India-Pakistan conflict during an interview with ANI in October, where he clearly stated that Pakistan would be on the losing side in a conventional war between the two nations. He emphasized that his analysis specifically excluded nuclear capabilities and focused solely on conventional military strength.
Nothing—absolutely nothing—good will come from a direct conflict between India and Pakistan, because Pakistan will lose, Kiriakou had stated during his October interview, clarifying that he was referring strictly to conventional warfare capabilities rather than nuclear weapons.
PTI's Strong Reaction and Kiriakou's Blunt Response
The former CIA officer faced significant backlash and online abuse from Pakistani citizens following his remarks. However, the most formal response came from Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, who has been serving as president of Imran Khan's PTI party since March 2023.
Kiriakou received what he described as a threatening letter from the PTI that condemned his remarks in the strongest possible terms and demanded an immediate apology to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, PTI party members, and the people of Pakistan.
Despite legal advice to ignore the communication, Kiriakou chose the opposite approach. He revealed during his recent interview that he sent a brutally honest email response: I wipe my a** with your demands for an apology. Following this blunt reply, the PTI never contacted him again.
Who is John Kiriakou?
John Kiriakou began his CIA career in 1990, initially working as an analyst before transitioning to a case officer role. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, he was appointed as chief of counterterrorism operations in Pakistan.
In this significant role, he led the 2002 raid that captured Abu Zubaydah, who was then considered al-Qaeda's third-ranking official. Notably, Kiriakou has stated that he refused CIA training in enhanced interrogation techniques, which included methods like waterboarding.
Kiriakou left the agency in 2004 after 15 years of service and gained further prominence in 2007 when he became the first US official to confirm the CIA's use of waterboarding on detainees during an ABC News interview, describing it as torture and revealing it as official policy approved by then-President George W. Bush.
The ongoing tension highlights the sensitive nature of military capability discussions between India and Pakistan, particularly when coming from experienced intelligence professionals with direct regional expertise.
