John Kiriakou, a former CIA operative turned whistleblower, has responded sharply to the demands of Pakistan's PTI party to retract his statements regarding India-Pakistan tensions with a vulgar dismissal, stating he'd use their letter as toilet paper.
During an October interview with ANI, Kiriakou analysed potential conflict between the neighboring nations, predicting Pakistan's defeat in conventional warfare. He emphasised his assessment excluded nuclear scenarios and focused solely on traditional military confrontation.
His comments sparked outrage among Pakistanis, resulting in numerous online attacks and death threats. Kiriakou explained that his analysis was based on India's significantly larger population, approximately five times Pakistan's size, giving it strategic advantages.
PTI formally condemned Kiriakou's statements and demanded immediate apologies to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, party members, and Pakistani citizens. The correspondence reportedly came from PTI's president, with Chaudhry Parvez Elahi leading the organisation since March 2023.
Despite legal counsel advising caution and heightened awareness, Kiriakou responded with characteristic bluntness, reiterating his refusal to apologise. The party hasn't responded since.
Kiriakou's distinguished CIA career spanned fifteen years, including crucial post-9/11 counterterrorism work and leading the 2002 operation capturing senior al-Qaeda figure Abu Zubaydah. His 2007 whistleblowing exposed CIA torture practices, resulting in twenty-three months' imprisonment before charges were dismissed. He maintains no regrets about his decisions.
