A dignified exit

General Kayani may look back on his stewardship with a quiet sense of pride, a soldier Pakistan may be proud of.


Editorial October 07, 2013
General Kayani may look back on his stewardship with a quiet sense of pride, a soldier Pakistan may be proud of. PHOTO: AFP

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Afshaq Parvez Kayani, has now formally announced his retirement, bringing to an end months of fevered and inaccurate speculation as to a further extension of his tenure. He will leave his post on November 29. The announcement has finally laid to rest any number of speculative postings, including that he would be made chairman of a revamped Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. General Kayani has now said that it is time for others to “carry forward the mission of making Pakistan a truly democratic, prosperous and peaceful country …” — a sentiment reflective of the changes in relationship between the military and the civilian government in recent years. Whilst the military remains the power behind the throne, the recent successful general election and the peaceful transition from one civilian government to the next may have been the democratic key that finally laid to rest the spectre of military rule.



The military remains the single most powerful and stable institution in the country and General Kayani’s tenure has done much to restore morale. It has been a tenure in which the army has been engaged in the fight against extremism and suffered grievous losses, provided the backbone of relief and aid operations during floods and after earthquakes, and made significant contributions to UN peacekeeping forces around the world. All of that and more is going to continue but under new leadership and no individual is greater than the institution they serve. Whilst speculation as to an extension of his role as COAS has ended, speculation continues as to what other post he may be offered, including the vacant slot at the Pakistan embassy in Washington, or as a national security adviser to the government — a role for which he would be eminently suited. The military may look upon the antics of our politicians with a less than approving eye from time to time, but the temptation to interfere has been replaced by a firmly stated — and demonstrated — commitment to constitutional rule. General Kayani may look back on his stewardship with a quiet sense of pride, a soldier Pakistan itself may be proud of.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8th, 2013.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.

COMMENTS (8)

Rex Minor | 10 years ago | Reply

@unbelievable: He proved his loyalty to Bhutto Zardari family and to his ex boss, who is being sent out of the country now. Is it not an achievement in a Taliban control country?

Rex Minor

Solomon2 | 10 years ago | Reply

"General Kayani may look back on his stewardship with a quiet sense of pride, a soldier Pakistan itself may be proud of"

General Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, publicly stated that the government of Pakistan - meaning Gen. Kayani or people Kayani appointed - "sanctioned" the murder of Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad. This sort of outburst from America's highest military officer is unique. Pakistan being Pakistan, the investigation into Shahzad's death halted before the perpetrators could be fingered - but the investigators got far enough to conclude that compensation should be paid by the government to Shahzad's family.

Disaster relief is something the Pakistani Army can be proud of. Given the professional skills of Pakistanis soldiers and officers, any good organizer would have succeeded at it. Murder ordered from the top of the government, however, has little to do with the Army itself and everything to do with its commander. So why should Pakistanis be led to believe that their commander leaves office with his honor unstained?

VIEW MORE COMMENTS
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ