In a startling revelation, former CIA officer John Kiriakou has claimed that the United States once exercised control over Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, during the regime of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf. Kiriakou, who served with the Central Intelligence Agency for over 15 years, alleged that the US provided “millions and millions of dollars” in aid to effectively “purchase” Musharraf’s cooperation.
Speaking in an interview with ANI, Kiriakou said, “When I was stationed in Pakistan in 2002, I was told unofficially that the Pentagon controlled Pakistan’s nuclear weapons because Musharraf feared what could happen otherwise. In recent years, Pakistan has denied this, but if the generals are fully in control now, I would be deeply concerned about who is truly running the country.”
Kiriakou accused Washington of having a “selective morality” in foreign policy and a long-standing preference for working with authoritarian leaders. “Let’s be honest. The United States loves working with dictators. It’s easier — there’s no media scrutiny or public opinion to worry about. We essentially bought Musharraf’s loyalty through military and economic aid,” he added.
The former intelligence officer also touched upon the Abdul Qadeer Khan nuclear proliferation episode, alleging that Saudi Arabia intervened to protect Khan. “The Saudis told the US to leave AQ Khan alone. They had close ties, and our relationship with Riyadh has always been transactional — we buy their oil, they buy our weapons,” Kiriakou said.
He went on to claim that Pakistan’s influence in Saudi Arabia’s military is far deeper than acknowledged, stating that “almost the entire Saudi military comprises Pakistanis,” who are responsible for protecting the kingdom on the ground.
“If we had taken the Israeli approach, we would have eliminated AQ Khan. He wasn’t hard to find, but he had Saudi backing. The Saudis requested that we stay away, and we did,” Kiriakou remarked, underscoring the complex web of US-Pakistan-Saudi ties that shaped early 2000s geopolitics.
