Musharraf handed over Pak airports to US without consulting defence chiefs - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf did not consult with the corps commanders before allowing US forces to use Pakistani airports, a retired Pakistan Army general has alleged. The Dawn quoted former Chief of General Staff, Lt-Gen (retd) Shahid Aziz, as saying that Musharraf had not taken corps commanders into confidence before giving control of Jacobabad and Pasni airports to the US. In fact, Gen Aziz claimed, Musharraf took most decision regarding Pakistan's support to the US without the knowledge of top military brass. The then director-general military operations (Gen Aziz) and the DGs of ISI and MI were told about giving only 'touch down' facilities to US helicopters in case of emergency landing for medical reasons and that too when Jacobabad airport had already been handed over to the US forces, he said. "We came to know much later that airport had been completely handed over when a battalion from Quetta reached Jacobabad for airport security, the Pakistan army personnel were stopped by US troops from entering the area," Gen Aziz said. It was only then that senior army officers came to know that the US authorities had set up a large ammunition depot and their planes were using the airport for regular flights to and from Afghanistan.