Al Khaleej stuns Al Hilal with 3-2 victory, ending 57-match unbeaten run    Turki Al-Sheikh crowned "Most Influential Personality in the Last Decade" at MENA Effie Awards 2024    Saudi Arabia arrests 19,696 illegals in a week    SFDA move to impose travel ban on workers of food outlets in the event of food poisoning    GACA: 1029 complaints recorded against airlines, with least complaints in Riyadh and Buraidah airports during October    CMA plans to allow former expatriates in Saudi and other Gulf states to invest in TASI    11 killed, 23 injured in Israeli airstrike on Beirut    Trump picks billionaire Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary    WHO: Mpox remains an international public health emergency    2 Pakistanis arrested for promoting methamphetamine    Move to ban on establishing zoos in residential neighborhoods    Moody's upgrades Saudi Arabia's credit rating to Aa3 with stable outlook    Al Okhdood halts Al Shabab's winning streak with a 1-1 draw in Saudi Pro League    Mahrez leads Al Ahli to victory over Al Fayha in Saudi Pro League    Saudi musical marvels takes center stage in Tokyo's iconic opera hall    Saudi Arabia and Japan to collaborate on training Saudi students in Manga comics Saudi Minister of Culture discusses cultural collaboration during Tokyo visit    Al Khaleej qualifies for Asian Men's Club League Handball Championship final    Katy Perry v Katie Perry: Singer wins right to use name in Australia    Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out    Denmark's Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Pakistan army chief tapped for new powerful job after retirement
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 05 - 10 - 2013

ISLAMABAD — One of Pakistan's most powerful men, General Ashfaq Kayani, is likely to stay head of the military with a new title when he steps down as army chief next month, government and security sources said, taking over some of the duties of his successor.
The expected move comes at a time when Islamist violence is on the rise in Pakistan, tension boils with arch rival India over disputed Kashmir and as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif seeks to shore up a stable government just months into his job.
And for the United States, it would mean continuity in Pakistan's approach ahead of a pullout of most foreign troops in neighboring Afghanistan at the end of 2014.
There has been speculation over who will take over as chief of the army, which has ruled the nuclear-armed South Asian nation for more than half of its history since independence in 1947, when Kayani steps down.
Sources and aides close to Kayani said Sharif wanted to make him head of a revamped and more powerful Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC). One senior intelligence official said Sharif planned to overhaul the JCSC, a largely ceremonial office, into a “central defense body” by restoring its command over the entire military establishment and giving it additional powers.
“The new JCSC chief will be in charge of the nuclear arsenal. He'll decide on action against terrorists,” said the source, adding that new powers included the right to promote, post and transfer key military officers.
“Basically, the JCSC office will be what it was always supposed to be. The overall boss.”
Sharif has a history of bitter relations with the army but is keen to preserve a semblance of continuity at a time when Pakistan is struggling to contain a growing Taliban insurgency.
But keeping Kayani in a powerful role would entrench the army once again as the real decision maker in Pakistan, with the civilian government playing second fiddle.
Military officials did not return repeated calls seeking comment. The government's spokesman said he also could not comment until an official announcement on Monday when the current JCSC chief is due to step down.
‘The devil they know'
Kayani's post had already been extended for three years in 2010 - to the discontent of some climbing the ranks below him. Sources close to Sharif said he was unlikely to give him another extension, which would allow movement in the top ranks.
“The JCSC chairmanship is the most likely option for Kayani,” said a close Sharif aide. “He's an expert on the Pakistani insurgency. He understands the war in Afghanistan.”
Under Kayani's command, the army has launched several offensives against Al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked militants in the tribal regions on the Afghan border. In response, militants have extended their attacks to major cities across Pakistan. Pakistan is trying to bury the legacy of military rule and this year, for the first time, a civilian government completed its full term and stood aside for Sharif's team to be elected.
Sharif has a difficult relationship with the army, and picking Kayani's successor will be a defining moment of his second term. Kayani was once intelligence chief to Pervez Musharraf, the army chief who overthrew Sharif in 1999.
Lieutenant General Rashad Mahmood, chief of general staff, has emerged as a possible successor and a Kayani favorite.
Other possible candidates include General Tariq Khan, considered pragmatic on US relations, and Lieutenant General Haroon Aslam, the most senior official after Kayani.
“Nawaz wouldn't want an overly strong army chief and if Kayani plans to stick around in uniform, then he would prefer someone close to him,” a senior retired army officer said. “Rashad is the man.”
Either way, Kayani is widely expected to stay on in one form or another. “He won't simply retire and disappear quietly,” one Western diplomat in Islamabad said.
The relationship with the Americans is also key.
The United States has a long-standing alliance with Pakistan, but ties have been strained by concerns that Islamabad is supporting militants fighting US troops in Afghanistan and over U.S. drone strikes on militant targets inside Pakistan.
Fears for Pakistani sovereignty peaked in May 2011 when Osama Bin Laden was found and killed in a town not far from Islamabad in a secretive operation by US Navy SEALS.
“Kayani has a good rapport with the Americans and has worked closely with them in Afghanistan,” the prime minister's aide said. “For Sharif and the US, it's better the devil they know.” — Reuters


Clic here to read the story from its source.