Lt. General Hameed Gul passed in the hill resort of Murree. He suffered from Brain Hemorrhage. He was born on November 20 1936. He hailed from Swat, but later his family settled in Lahore. He studied at Government College, Lahore and Joined army as a commissioned officer after completing training at Kakul Academy. He passed the 18th long course in 1956. He had a distinguished career in the army. He served as Battalion Commander and later as Staff Colonel under General Zia at Multan. He developed close ties with General Zia ul Haq. Gul was promoted to the Brigadier’s rank in 1978 and served as Martial Law Administrator of Bhawalpur.
Hameed Gul appointments were expressly made on General Zia’s recommendations. He served as DG ISI in 1987 -1989 replacing General Akhtar Abdur Rehman. He played a vital role in supporting Afghan groups in resistance to Soviet armed forces. He also supported Kashmiris in their struggle against Indian armed forces occupying the disputed territory of Kashmir. He was credited for expanding support to Muslim freedom warriors there.
General (R) Hameed Gul earned the reputation being the master mind of Pakistan’s Geo-strategic politics. He remained a controversial figure giving rose to many conspiracy theories. He was blamed for Be Nazir’s defeat in general election. He played an important role in the formation of conservative parties alliance called IJI (Islami Jamoorhi ittehad). IJI received funds from Asad Durrani the then D.G ISI and General Aslam Baig COAS.
He earned military honors award like Sitara Imtiaz (military) and Sitara Bisalaat for his bravery. Hameed Gul was a hardline political maverick. He served as political analyst and as a catalyst in the formation of 40 parties Pakistan Defense Council. A right wing political was conglomerate. He was known for his strong views. He was a great patriot. Gul acknowledged the formation of IJI in several interviews and harshly criticized for his role.
General Hameed Gul met Osama Bin Laden in 1993 and refused to label him a terrorist. Unless until any incontrovertible evidence of terrorist acts was presented against him. Americans were annoyed with him, but he cared less. He labeled 8/11 attacks on world trade center as insider’s Job. He will be remembered for his services to nation. May Allah the Almighty rest the departed soul in peace and eternal tranquility. A great national loss.
