Islamabad: President Pervez Musharraf's failure on the F-16 front during his talks at Camp David is due to intervention from the powerful Jewish lobby operating in USA and not because of any Indian influence. General Hameed Gul, former chief of the Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), expressed this view, while talking to Radio Teheran in an interview.

According to him, even the US President "is helpless" before the Israeli pressure in his own country. But on the other hand, "whereas we are being asked to recognise Israel, that country is not prepared to review its policy towards Pakistan," he added.

Replying to a question on rumours that some secret agreement has been reached on the Kashmir issue and recognition of Israel, he said, "I do not believe that he (Musharraf) will do so. After all he is a Pakistani and in view of our valour and our specific circumstances, I do not believe that such rumours are correct."

About the President's statement that Pakistan should review its policy on Israel, the General said, "If he says this, it makes no difference. It is not a democratic way, as the nation would not like to recognise Israel. If he takes any action ignoring the nation's sentiments, its results will also come to light." Speaking about the US aid package of three billion, Gul said it amounts to ridiculing Pakistan. This will be used only to fulfill American objectives.

Commenting on the size of the assistance, he remarked that it's just peanuts and may be beneficial for Musharraf himself but not for the nation. With this meagre dole, "the US has ridiculed the Pakistani nation and our services. We did not want to act against a Muslim country and then the Americans themselves estimated that Pakistan has suffered a loss of 10 billion dollars, but now they have given peanuts to us, which we have really minded," Gul added.

Answering a question on the future of Pakistan's nuclear programme, Gul said the pressure on this front has been in existence since the beginning but nobody in Pakistan can reverse it. "We have achieved nuclear capability and the United States should now close this chapter.

Unfortunately it is the pressure from the Israelis, who say that Pakistan or any other Muslim country should not possess nuclear capability," the radio quoted him as saying. He further affirmed that conspiracies against Pakistan's nuclear programme would continue but the real question is whether or not "we able to counter these conspiracies through wisdom, sagacity and prudence." ANI