General Kayani may look back on his stewardship with a quiet sense of pride, a soldier Pakistan may be proud of. PHOTO: AFP
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the antics of our politicians with a less than approving eye from time to time, but the temptation to interfere has been replaced by a firmly stated — and demonstrated — commitment to constitutional rule.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.
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@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
"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?
Really? Exactly what did Kayani do that warrants such kudos? Seems to me his big accomplishment was not overthrowing the elected govt - something most countries take for granted. . He didn't purge the military to get rid of the terrorist sympathizers, didn't stop the militants from taking control of half of Pakistan, didn't capture OBL (or any other high ranking Al Qaeda member), refused Zardari's demand for the ISI to report to the civilian govt, didn't launch a single major military campaign that killed or captured important Taliban, helped orchestrate the demise of Pakistan's relationship with the USA, and otherwise contributed to Pakistan having one of the worst international reputations on the planet. He should have never been given a job extension and should have been dismissed after OBL debacle.
Come on ET no one ever speculated his further extesion as COAS. CJCSC, Defence Advisor or US Embassy all are still open slots. Just wait and see what comes out of bag.
@Pakistani Ostrich: Please also add disgrace Slalah incident...
If anything, he admitted that Pakistan's real enemy is not external but from within: The Terrorists. I fully agree. One reason why people are happy is that he did not topple a civilian government. But that does not mean that he did not interfere. But Zardari was aware of army meddling and made sure that decisions were made in consultation with Kayani. It would be too much of a wishful thinking to expect his followers will also remain in the background and respect the constitution. That would not be the psyche of boots. But perhaps the civilians should try not give an excuse for the boots to march in Islamabad.
A dignified exit. Really? After several terrorist attacks on army/navy/air force/isi installation under his watch. Ever increasing and unchecked taliban mayhem and "mother of all" disgrace, the may 2nd OBL raid (1km away from kakul!), all happened his watch. A dignified exit would have been his resignation after the may 2nd OBL raid. Him retiring now is just an excuse for not getting 'fired' (pun intended).
You can always count on the short memories of Pakistanis.