Dhaka, Oct. 25 -- Former CIA officer John Kiriakou has accused the United States of effectively "purchasing" former general Pervez Musharraf by funnelling vast sums of aid into Pakistan, the Hindustan Times has claimed.

Kiriakou also claimed, in an interview with ANI cited by the Indian media, that Musharraf handed over control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal to Washington.

Kiriakou, who spent 15 years in the CIA as an analyst and later in counter-terrorism, told ANI that US ties with Musharraf's government were "very, very good" and argued Washington preferred dealing with authoritarian rulers.

"So we essentially just purchased Musharraf," he was quoted as saying.

He said Washington provided "millions and millions and millions of dolla...