Former CIA officer and ex-chief of counterterrorism operations in Pakistan, John Kiriakou, has delivered a sharp rebuke to Pakistan after being asked to apologise for his October 2025 statement.
Kiriakou revealed that many Pakistanis were angered when he said Pakistan could never defeat India in a conventional war. He received threats, including warnings from supporters of a former Pakistani Prime Minister, who sent him a formal letter demanding an immediate apology.
Responding in his trademark blunt style, Kiriakou said he “wiped and threw away that letter”, dismissing Pakistan’s outrage entirely.
In his earlier interview with ANI, he stated: “Nothing good—absolutely nothing—will come from a real war between India and Pakistan because the Pakistanis will lose. They will lose. And I’m not talking about nuclear weapons; I’m talking only about a conventional war.”
Kiriakou, known for his forthright views, said Pakistan must accept the geopolitical reality instead of issuing threats or seeking apologies for factual assessments.
