THE extension in tenure of the Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani by the government is receiving mixed signals among the media as well as the politicians. There are a number of analysts, who have praised the decision of the government while there are some who have questioned the tenure of extension. Amongst the politicians too the opinion is divided. Some have no qualms about it while the grouse of others is that they were not consulted prior to the announcement. Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, for example who has raised his voice that his party will not quit the coalition government, however, the JUI-F was not taken into confidence over COAS extension. Leader of the Opposition, Mian Nawaz Sharif has stated that he had advised the Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani against extending the tenure of the incumbent COAS. Mian Sahib would be critical. After all it was own blunder in his unceremoniously sacking the then Army Chief, when he was in mid air on return to Karachi from Sri Lanka, clandestinely appointing his crony as the new army chief and not permitting General Musharraf’s air craft to land in Pakistan that cost Mian Sahib his Prime Ministership. Mian Sahib had to remain in exile for eight years after cutting a deal with Musharraf. Mian Sahib’s anger and angst against the army is understandable, although it does not prevent his brother and other senior colleagues in discreetly calling on the Army Chief under cover of darkness; that is another story. However, one leader who has shown civility and large heartedness is the Former President Pervez Musharraf, who rang up Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and congratulated him on extension in his service. Wishing him all the best, Pervez Musharraf in a statement declared that under the able leadership of General Kayani the Pakistani armed forces would prove to be more beneficial for country’s security and stability. The former President said that the decision to extend the services of the army chief was inevitable for maintaining continuity of successes achieved in war against terror. This very act puts Musharraf in a different league of gentlemen, for whom it is prudent to be chivalrous, civil and courteous.
Since assuming the top post in November 2007, Kayani has done much to efface the ignominious record of his predecessor, Pervez Musharraf, who ruled Pakistan for eight years as a military dictator. In the battle against militants in South Waziristan and the Swat Valley, the army’s fresh resolve has been rewarded with significant success and popular support. Relations with the Pentagon and NATO have improved, and Kayani is well regarded by senior Western military officers. By shunning the overtly political role claimed by his predecessor, Kayani has also done much to rebuild the army’s public image. Although it is an unprecedented move since former Army Chiefs and dictators like Ayub Khan, Yahya, Zia and Musharraf had been granting extensions to themselves, this is the first time that a democratically elected government, has extended the tenure of office of an Army Chief that too on pure merit and not under coercion or intimidation. Kayani, a cool and composed professional soldier, who had numerous opportunities to grab power in the past two and a half years during various crises, like the restoration of judiciary’s Long March and other moments of anarchy, has proven beyond a shadow of doubt that he has no political ambitions. Instead, he lived up to his promise of taking the Army back to its professional duties and not meddle in the affairs of the state and thus not only provided a much needed respite to the budding democracy and restored the tarnished image of the army but also lent a helping hand to the politicians when they needed a helping hand in steadying the boat. Kayani’s stature has risen in the eyes of the public because he is viewed as a picture of stability and has had a calming effect. The Kerry Lugar Bill, India’s belligerence, the onslaught of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan at the behest of RAW, all challenges were met with a rock steady hand, after careful deliberation and meticulous planning. Indeed the unparalleled success of the Pakistan Army against the terrorists in Swat and South Waziristan not only won Kayani accolades in Pakistan but the NATO Commanders heralded Pakistan’s operations and Admiral Mike Mullen went to the extent of visiting the areas cleared of the miscreants and requested General Kayani to share his experiences with the NATO and ISAF commander in Afghanistan so that they could emulate him.
