Hamid Gul
Lieutenant General Hamid Gul HI(M) SI(M) SBt (Urdu: حمید گل; 20 November 1936 – 15 August 2015) was a Pakistani three-star general and defence analyst. Gul was notable for serving as the Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, between 1987 and 1989. During his tenure, Gul played an instrumental role in directing ISI support to Afghan resistance groups against Soviet forces in return for funds and weapons from the US, during the Soviet–Afghan War, in co-operation with the CIA.
Lieutenant General Hamid Gul HI(M) SI(M) SBt | |
|---|---|
| حمید گل | |
| 8th Director General of the ISI | |
| In office 29 March 1987 – 27 May 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Akhtar Abdur Rahman |
| Succeeded by | Shamsur Rahman Kallu |
| Corps Commander II Corps | |
| In office May 1989 – January 1992 | |
| Director General Military Intelligence | |
| In office 1983–1987 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hamid Gul 20 November 1936 Sargodha, Punjab, British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan) |
| Died | 15 August 2015 (aged 78) Murree, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Relatives | Ahmad Awais (brother-in-law) |
| Alma mater | GCU Lahore PMA Kakul |
| Occupation | Retired army officer and former spymaster |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Pakistan |
| Branch/service | Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1956–1993 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Unit | 19th Lancers, Army Armoured Corps |
| Commands | Commander II Corps DG Military Intelligence DG ISI |
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Soviet–Afghan War Afghan Civil War (1989-1992) |
| Awards | Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military) Sitara-e-Basalat |
In addition, Gul was widely credited for expanding covert support to Kashmiri freedom fighters against neighbouring rival India in the disputed Kashmir region from 1989, Gul earned a reputation as a "Godfather" of Pakistani geostrategic policies. For his role against India, he has been considered by A. S. Dulat, former director of RAW, as "the most dangerous and infamous ISI chief in Indian eyes."
In 1988 Gul also played a role in the creation of the IJI, a conservative political alliance formed to oppose the PPP of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
On 15 August 2015, he died after suffering a brain haemorrhage.