'Ex-ISI chief didn't name BNP or Khaleda'

'Ex-ISI chief didn't name BNP or Khaleda'Dhaka, Mar 18 (bdnews24.com) – Confession made by former chief of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Asad Durrani does not include anything about the intelligence organisation funding BNP, claims the party's acting secretary general. Showing an affidavit copy of the confession the former ISI chief made before the Pakistan Supreme Court recently, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told journalists it does not include name of any individual funded by ISI outside Pakistan. "I have the full list in my hand. The list does not include the name of either BNP or Khaleda Zia or any individual outside Pakistan," said Alamgir mentioning that the confession includes a list of Pakistani people, including Nawaz Sharif, along with the amount of money given by ISI. "This is a politically-motivated campaign launched at a moment when BNP is enjoying increasing public support. It is part of their (government) planned conspiracy," Alamgir told the media at his party's central office Sunday. The former ISI chief was called by the Pakistan court on Wednesday last week for his statement on the allegation that the intelligence agency has been involved in funding various national and international organisations for political purposes. Indian edition of the British daily 'Daily Mail' reported that the former ISI chief had confessed that they gave money to BNP in 1991, during the period of a national election. Earlier, the same news was published by the Middle-east based daily Khaleej Times. "The first news to appear in this regard was in Khaleej Times. An Indian journalist named Dipanjan Roy wrote the report. No Pakistani newspaper ran any such report," Fakhrul claimed. "We want to make it clear that BNP has never been involved in politics or participated in any election on money received from abroad. Instead, The Economist of London had reported that Awami League participated in the 2008 national election by taking sacks full of money from neighbouring countries," he added. bdnews24.com/sm/eh/nir/1642h