Army top brass wants Kayani term extended
Pakistan Army’s powerful generals have mutely conveyed their message to the government that they want General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani to continue as the Army Chief.
“The important generals have put their weight behind General Kayani. They want an extension for him,” a highly placed source told this newspaper.
He said that the consensus was developed during the four-day Corps Commanders and Formation Commanders’ Conference that ended last week. “The commanders were of the unanimous opinion that General Kayani should continue as the Army Chief,” he added.
Last week, defence minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar said that the government has no intentions to extend the tenure of General Kayani. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani came out with a snub later, saying the decision has not been taken and the issue will be decided at the “right time”.
The Army commanders, the source said, think General Kayani should continue till the ongoing war on terror takes a decisive turn so that the achievements attained may be consolidated and not go waste. General Kayani, who is attaining superannuation on November 28 this year, did not hint about his interest in staying in the office after completion of his tenure.
General Tariq Majid, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), will retire on October 7, 2011. Both the generals belong to the Baloch Regiment and it is understood that the CJCSC is also supportive of continuation in the office of the COAS as long as the ongoing war reaches the final stage. The senior commanders, the source said, are appreciative of the role General Kayani played for enhancing the image of the armed forces ever since he assumed the office about 29 months ago.
He registered commendable successes in the war against terrorists in a short span of time in the tribal areas.
The successes achieved by the Army chief in an extremely hostile atmosphere has amazed the military commanders in Afghanistan where troops belonging to 43 countries have been fighting against the militants and are not yet close to any major success.
The source said that the government was working out a strategy to institutionalise the arrangement to provide the much-needed stay in the office for General Kayani.Other sources said that Prime Minister Gilani has not made up his mind in this regard but he is not averse to the idea as he disapproved a statement made by his defence minister on the subject the other day that conveyed a negative signal on the subject.
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