Cold War turning into a Hot One: Gilani Dismisses Mehmud Ali Durrani

The clashes between the president Asif Ali Zardari and the prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani are no secret anymore. The biggest point of contention between the two is that Gilani doesn't like the fact that Zardari has appointed his own men around Gilani.

First time Gilani has taken a bold step and has dismissed one of the closet aide of Zardari. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has sacked National Security Adviser Mehmud Ali Durrani, Geo News reported Wednesday. Talking to Geo News, Prime Minister Gilani said Durrani had given a statement to an Indian news channel regarding Ajmal Kasab without taking him into confidence.

Where it shows the belated courage of the selected prime minister, it also shows that how much disconnected the current inept leadership is regarding the national issues. The issue of Ajmal Kasab is no ordinary one and due to this issue, a war is looming at our Eastern borders, and the world wants results from the Pakistan and this announcement about the Ajmal Kasab by the Pakistani officials is very much ground breaking and earth shattering, and now this has become very confusing and embarrassing as prime minister  says that he knows nothing about it.

By Rohail butt, Jan 7, 2009

 

Some Facts and Profile of Mehmud Ali Durrani

Major General (r)  Mehmud Ali Durrani has remained one of the very effective background force in Pakistan since 1988, after the death of the General (r) Zia ul Haq in a plane crash. Zia ul Haq went to Bahawalpur upon the very intense request and repetitive insistence of the then commander of Armored Division Mehmud Ali Durrani, and his plane crashed.

The son of Zialul Haq, Ijaz ul Haq demanded that Mehmud Ali Durrani was involved in the plane assassination of his father and demanded that he must be included in the investigation, but then due to the Benazir government that matter went to cold storage.

After retirement from the army, Mehmud Ali Durrani became a very close friend of Bhutto family and he was considered among the very close coterie of Asif Ali Zardari. Durrani went to America and remained associated with American think tanks for a long time.  Then Musharraf appointed Durrani as the ambassador of Pakistan to America by the will of Benazir Bhutto and Zardari.

When the government was formed by PPP in the center, Durrani was appointed as the national security advisor to the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani by the president Asif Ali Zardari and the PM never liked it. Durrani acted at its own and is widely believed as the US representative in the Pakistani government.

Now Durrani has embarrased the whole of Pakistan and though has been dismissed by the PM, but he has already earned his keep and has put the Pakistan in hot waters. He says that Ajmal Kasab was Pakistani and now PM Gilani says that he doesn't know about it and has dismissed Durrani.

India has already asked Pakistan to admit that other 9 people were also Paksitani and to hand their perpetrators to the India.

Now Durrani says that he did that upon the order of Zardari.