End of an innings

General Kayani's tenure may have altered the course of our history.

Unlike so many of his predecessors, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani goes out at the end of a long tenure with dignity. For the most part, accolades, rather than criticism, come in — and perhaps, this fact alone can help establish a new tradition within the military, persuading its leaders to adhere to their professional duties, rather than venturing onto that dangerous minefield of politics, which has over the past decades proven to be the undoing of so many in uniform who have used their immense power for just this purpose.



General Kayani, as he bows out after assuming the post of chief of army staff (COAS) in 2007, will perhaps best be remembered for refusing to walk down that road. His role in keeping the military away from politics is an important one. He stands out as the army chief who presided over the first constitutional transfer of civilian power in 2013 and who firmly kept his promise of focusing on promoting military professionalism, rather than straying into other domains. Within the military too, soon after taking over charge of a force he had been commissioned into in 1971, as lieutenant, he focused on improving living and work conditions for the soldiers who stand at the bottom of the army hierarchy, rather than those at the top. This may be linked to his origins as the son of a junior commissioned officer, with little in his background to link him to wealth or power. Given the norms of our society, his rise to COAS under these circumstances is in itself a considerable achievement.

This is not to say that General Kayani’s career has not had its low points. While under him, successful military operations were conducted in 2009 in Swat and Malakand, the truth also is that militancy continues to rage on in our country. It has seen, under General Kayani, the worst attacks staged on its own installations — such as that on the GHQ in October 2009. General Kayani’s successor will now continue to deal with these and will hopefully take measures to ensure that such attacks do not happen again.

The US action against Osama bin Laden in May 2011 also came as an embarrassment for the army. Repercussions from it linger on. So do those involved in the failure to bring senior army officials to trial for their alleged role in the NLC scam. The continued issue of missing persons, in which human rights groups maintain the army has a big role to play, is another ugly blot. The stain continues to spread even now.

During his tenure, General Kayani made some forays into the political stratosphere — but it can be argued the intentions behind them were good. He is believed to have played a role in the 2008 exit of President Pervez Musharraf and also intervened when the ruling PPP and the PML-N came close to a showdown in early 2009 over the issue of restoration of the supreme judiciary. General Kayani’s willingness to keep the military restricted to its constitutional role, avoiding the temptation to use the immense power an army chief wields was, however, notable at both these points and others as well. In this respect, his tenure may have altered the course of our history.

We certainly hope this is the case. Much of the responsibility for carrying on the traditions set lies with the man who has stepped into General Kayani’s shoes and will carry the burdens that come with the job. We must hope that General Raheel Sharif will emulate the man he has served under and help the Pakistan military even more skillfully perform its duty of defending the country from all harm while permitting the other pillars of state to play the role they have been entrusted with, so our country can run along a smooth trail and strengthen its position as a fully functional democracy.

We also hope that he will share General Kayani’s views on the Taliban and the militants being one of Pakistan’s biggest existential threats.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2013.

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