Click to play videoNew Delhi: Pakistani President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday handpicked former Pakistani intelligence chief Lt Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani the new Army Chief, DawnNews TV reported.
Known as the chain-smoking spy in Pakistan, Lt Gen Kiyani will replace President Gen Pervez Musharraf as head of the Army after Saturday's presidential election.
If everything goes off as planned, Pakistan Television said the appointment would be effective on Monday. Lt-Gen Kiyani earlier served as the head of Pakistani's feared ISI intelligence agency.
Military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said Gen Ashfaq Kiyani has been promoted to Vice Chief of the Army and he will take the powerful top job when Gen Musharraf vacates it.
Lt Gen Kiyani is known as one of Musharraf's most trusted officers who has always kept a low profile in public. People who have worked closely with him, however, speak highly of his abilities — more highly in some cases than his boss might like.
In an Army reshuffle in September, Gen Musharraf had promoted some of his most trusted officers to key positions. In that reshuffle, Musharraf had replaced Kiyani and Rawalpindi corps commander Tariq Majid. Majid will now be the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Analysts have described both men as Musharraf loyalists, who are likely to continue his pro-US policies.
Lt-Gen Kiyani is the seniormost general after Gen Musharraf. "Kayani is the most competent candidate by far," a Western military official in Islamabad had said earlier this week.
Now, if President Musharraf wins the October 6 presidential polls, he is likely to shed his uniform, paving the way for Lt Gen Kiyani to take over.
Lt Gen Kiyani is also believed to be the man favoured by the Pentagon to take over from Gen Musharraf.
Last week the Newsweek magazine had reported that the Pentagon is keen on turning much of Pakistan's military into a counter-insurgency force, trained and equipped to combat the al-Qaeda and its extremist supporters along the Afghan border.
As a civilian head of state, Gen Musharraf too will need a strong, capable top officer who can revive the fighting spirit of a badly demoralised Army.
Analysts, however, warn that whoever is appointed to the top job, the new Army Chief will become an independent operator. Army heads have overthrown unpopular civilian governments throughout Pakistan's 60 years of existence.
In the case of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, his hand-picked army chief Zia-ul-Haq not only deposed him in 1977, but executed him two years later. Gen. Musharraf came to power in a 1999 coup against the elected prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, who had personally chosen him as army chief over more senior officers.
Who's Who is Pak Army New Setup
Lt Gen Nadeem Taj heads ISI: This announcement too was made in the 21 Sep 2007 ISPR. He leaves his post of Director General of Military Intelligence. He succeeds Lt Gen Kiyani . Gen Taj was with Gen Musharraf on the flight back from Colombo on 12 Oct 1999. He was his Military Secretary then. He was then a Brigadier and also testified against Nawaz Sharif, making it clear that the coup was not pre-meditated and followed only after Gen Musharraf’s PIA with civilian passengers was not allowed to land in Karachi.
Lt Gen Tariq Majeed is Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee: He was GOC of the Rawalpindi based 11 Corps. More relevantly, he was in overall command of the operations at Lal Masjid. He has also been a Director General of Military Intelligence. His promotion too was announced similarly on 21 Sep 2007 in an Inter Services Press Release. He takes over from Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff General Ehsan ul-Haq, who retires now.
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