Once-bitten Sharif to appoint new Pakistani army chief
Pakistan's prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, will this week name a new
army chief who, if all goes well, could help the nuclear-armed nation
shake off a legacy of coups and instability.
The stakes could not be higher. The last time Sharif chose an army chief, he was toppled by the same general, Pervez Musharraf, a year later. Musharraf held power for nearly a decade from 1999 until the restoration of civilian rule.
The United States, which views Pakistani cooperation as vital to its strategy in neighbouring Afghanistan, will be watching closely, hoping for continuity before most foreign troops pull out of Afghanistan next y
ear.
"What is best for the country may not be the best political option," said Mahmud Durrani, a former general who served as Pakistan's national security adviser until 2008.
"Nawaz will try to appoint someone who will do his bidding, not someone who is good for the army. And similarly, the new chief will be driven by the institution and not necessarily by any civilian leader."
The post of army chief is arguably the most powerful in Pakistan and anxiety rests on who will replace the taciturn, chain-smoking General Ashfaq Kayani, who steps down on Friday after six years at the helm.
Three senior generals, Lieutenant-General Haroon Aslam, Lieutenant-General Tariq Khan and Lieutenant-General Rashad Mahmood, are seen as main contenders. Mahmood is the third most senior commander and, army insiders say, a Kayani favourite. Khan commands a Pakistani army corps and is considered an important interlocutor with the United States.
Aslam is the most senior military officer after Kayani, and thus his natural heir.
Kayani has won credit for reducing the military's public role in politics although the army retains huge influence behind the scenes, especially over security and foreign policy.
Like every civilian leader, Sharif will be keen to limit that sway under a new commander. "Nawaz may trust in Kayani's democratic credentials, but he knows that is no guarantee that the next guy will also stay in the barracks," said a senior official in Sharif's administration who declined to be named.
The stakes could not be higher. The last time Sharif chose an army chief, he was toppled by the same general, Pervez Musharraf, a year later. Musharraf held power for nearly a decade from 1999 until the restoration of civilian rule.
The United States, which views Pakistani cooperation as vital to its strategy in neighbouring Afghanistan, will be watching closely, hoping for continuity before most foreign troops pull out of Afghanistan next y
ear."What is best for the country may not be the best political option," said Mahmud Durrani, a former general who served as Pakistan's national security adviser until 2008.
"Nawaz will try to appoint someone who will do his bidding, not someone who is good for the army. And similarly, the new chief will be driven by the institution and not necessarily by any civilian leader."
The post of army chief is arguably the most powerful in Pakistan and anxiety rests on who will replace the taciturn, chain-smoking General Ashfaq Kayani, who steps down on Friday after six years at the helm.
Three senior generals, Lieutenant-General Haroon Aslam, Lieutenant-General Tariq Khan and Lieutenant-General Rashad Mahmood, are seen as main contenders. Mahmood is the third most senior commander and, army insiders say, a Kayani favourite. Khan commands a Pakistani army corps and is considered an important interlocutor with the United States.
Aslam is the most senior military officer after Kayani, and thus his natural heir.
Kayani has won credit for reducing the military's public role in politics although the army retains huge influence behind the scenes, especially over security and foreign policy.
Like every civilian leader, Sharif will be keen to limit that sway under a new commander. "Nawaz may trust in Kayani's democratic credentials, but he knows that is no guarantee that the next guy will also stay in the barracks," said a senior official in Sharif's administration who declined to be named.
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