Former Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt General (retd) Hamid Gul passed away in Murree on Saturday evening due to brain haemorrhage, as per media reports.
Gul was also instrumental in the establishment of the Taliban and was quite popularly known as the “father of the Taliban”. And till the end used to defend his action regarding their creation.
According to his daughter, Uzma Gul, the former spy master had been taken to the Combined Military hospital in Murree on Saturday after he suffered brain haemorrhage.
Despite efforts by the doctors, he could not be saved.
His body will be shifted to Rawalpindi.
Gul’s son Abdullah Gul is currently in Turkey.
The three-star general was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in October 1956 with the 18th PMA Long Course in the 19th Lancers regiment of the Armoured Corps. He fought in the 1965 war with India. He attended the Command and Staff College Quetta in 1968-69.
During 1972–1976, Gul directly served under General Muhammad Ziaul-Haq as a battalion commander, and then as Staff Colonel, when General Zia was GOC, 1st Armoured Division and Commander, II Corps at Multan.
Gul was promoted to Brigadier in 1978 and steadily rose to be the Martial Law Administrator of Bahawalpur and then the Commander of the 1st Armoured Division, Multan in 1982.
He then served as the director general of ISI between March 29, 1987 and October 4, 1989.
He retired from service in 1992. His death coming shortly after the death of Mullah Omar has left the Taliban movement orphaned.
