Pakistan's controversial three-star General, Hamid Gul, dies

He was a General in his labyrinth. And in the case of Hamid Gul, that labyrinth was the volatile politics of militant Islam, along the mostly lawless border area between his native Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The three-star General died on Saturday in Muree, near Islamabad. He was 78 years old.

General Gul was an influential figure, known for his support for militant Islam. He served as the head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or I-S-I, in the 1980s.

On May 2, 2011 -- the day after Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan -- General Gul spoke with As It Happens host Carol Off. At the time, it was becoming evident that U.S. special forces had killed bin Laden without the knowledge of Pakistan's military high command or I-S-I.

General Gul told Carol: "It's not a success in my opinion...because Osama bin Laden had receded into the past. He was a sick man, he would have perished on his own...and I think this is going to resurrect his image. Osama bin Laden is going to now be a ghost that is going to haunt the Americans and their interests everywhere in the world."