Tariq Khan has led more than 65 operations from the front against Taliban extremists.
KARACHI: I commend Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Muhammad Ali Ehsan on his article “Appointing a new army chief”, which was published in your esteemed newspaper on July 29. The article is thought provoking, especially the observations relating to Lieutenant General Tariq Khan and General Ali Kuli Khan. Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Ehsan rightly points out how Tariq Khan is the only officer of general rank in the top brass of the Pakistan Army with a highly successful record of leading operations against the Taliban militants at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and in Swat, Buner, Dir, South Waziristan and Bajaur.
I would like to add to his observations. Tariq Khan, as inspector-general of Frontier Corps and later as division commander of the 14th infantry division, led more than 65 operations from the front against Taliban extremists. This means that he has spent more days on the battlefield in combat as a commanding officer than most generals in the history of Pakistan.
Lieutenant General (retd) Tariq Khan, like Ali Kuli Khan, also has a brilliant and outstanding service record. He, like Ali Kuli Khan, won the sword of honour at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul as a gentleman cadet. When Ali Kuli Khan was superseded by General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan suffered a lot as a consequence. The current prime minister can make up for his earlier mistake by appointing Tariq Khan as army chief, whose service record is as brilliant and unblemished as that of Ali Kuli Khan.
Osama Mustafa
Published in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2013.
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