When a major-general is promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general, four years is the mandated tenure of service.
KARACHI: With respect to Ayesha Siddiqa’s article “Another extension for the ISI chief” (March 13), as a rule I am also not in favour of extensions and have said this on record. However, when a major-general is promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general, four years is the mandated tenure of service, so why should age become a barrier for his completing the mandated tenure?
In Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s case, he still has 18 months to go to complete the normal tenure along with his other course-mates who were promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general. He is not blocking anyone’s promotion, as the writer seems to suggest, because those who were promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general along with him will retire (or one may get promoted to the four-star rank) at the normal time of such a promotion.
With the Pakistani populace being fed such adverse perceptions through our own media, India’s RAW should be well-pleased. Why should they spend money and effort in clandestine operations against Pakistan when others in the country seem to be doing their job for them?
Ikram Sehgal
Published in The Express Tribune, March 15th, 2011.
