Former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou recently revealed the intense backlash and threats he received from Pakistan following his outspoken comments on the conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad, including a stern letter from the party of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
During an interview on the Julian Dorey Podcast, Kiriakou disclosed that he received “death threats” and a threatening letter from PTI, to which he responded with a harsh dismissal, stating he would use the demand to “wipe my a**.”
The Controversial ‘Pakistanis Will Lose’ Remark
The controversy stems from Kiriakou’s remarks made during an interview with ANI in October, where he discussed the potential for conflict between India and Pakistan. He asserted that a war between the two nuclear-armed nations would yield nothing positive, but was clear on his prediction for a conventional conflict:
“Nothing, literally nothing good will come of an actual war between India and Pakistan because the Pakistanis will lose. And I’m not talking about nuclear weapons. I’m talking just about a conventional war,” he had said.
PTI’s Demand for an Apology
Kiriakou’s remarks were met with massive online abuse and backlash from Pakistani social media users. However, what stood out was the formal reaction from Imran Khan’s political party.
Kiriakou revealed he received a letter from the president of PTI—a position currently held by former Punjab (Pakistan) chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi—that “in the strongest possible terms” condemned his remarks. The letter allegedly demanded “an immediate apology to his excellency, the former prime minister (Imran Khan), to the members of the party (PTI), and to the people of Pakistan.”
Despite his lawyer advising him to simply “throw it away,” Kiriakou took the provocative step of replying to the “threatening” email.
He detailed his defiant response during the podcast interview:
“I sent him an email and I said, ‘In regards to your demand for an apology, I wipe my a with your demands for an apology.’ And I hit send, and that’s how I left it, and I haven’t heard back from them,” he concluded.
About John Kiriakou
John Kiriakou is a former CIA officer who worked with the agency for fifteen years. He was involved in key anti-terror operations following the 9/11 attacks, most notably leading the 2002 raid that resulted in the capture of Abu Zubaydah, a senior Al-Qaeda official at the time.