General Kayani will be remembered for his meritorious service to the state.
ISLAMABAD: Finally, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has decided to call it quits. The announcement squashed all rumours riding the air waves and the print media, at home and abroad, regarding his employment in any military set-up after the completion of his tenure. Whereas his decision was hailed by politicians and academics, some well-known media personalities utilised the opportunity to cast shadows on his tenure as Chief of Army Staff by citing some events that took place during his tenure, all the while forgetting that the general successfully confronted multiple threats in a volatile security environment persisting since long. With scarce resources, the general succeeded in taking the nation out of multiple crises every time, through his profound judgments. He never lost his cool and at the same time, stood firm on his decisions. It was during his tenure, wherein the civil-military relationship reached its highest point in history.
General Kayani will be remembered for his meritorious service to the state. His timely decision afforded an opportunity to the political leadership to make a decision on his replacement and other top slots in the army. Plus, the general ensured that the institution he so amicably commanded, no more intruded in the democratic order of the country. For the retiring general, whose television critics anticipated different endings, the announcement through ISPR represented a quiet victory of sorts.
General Kayani’s departure comes at a critical juncture of our history. With a floundering economy, US military withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, multiple security challenges on the eastern and western borders, prevalent extremism and terrorism, the departure of the thinking general will make the new incumbent’s task challenging. General Kayani’s successor would have to follow the finest traditions, put in place by him, for taking this country forward.
Engineer Javed Iqbal
Published in The Express Tribune, October 9th, 2013.
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