Chief of Army Staff | General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

[fatman17]

Asif Ali Zardari assigns serving army officer for Pervez Musharraf's security
Wednesday, Nov 17, 2010,

Pakistan | Agency: PTI


In an unprecedented step, President Asif Ali Zardari has deputed a serving Pakistani Army officer to provide security to his predecessor Pervez Musharraf outside the country.

Colonel Ilyas, an army officer on attachment to the presidency, said Zardari had ordered him to serve as Chief Security Officer to Musharraf, who has been living in self-exile in Britain since last year, as a 'courtesy' to the former president.

Existing rules contain no provision for such a measure.

Zardari also appointed four to five other persons to serve Musharraf, who resigned in 2008, in London, Ilyas told The News daily.

"This is besides the four people given by the army chief, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who allowed this facility to Musharraf as ex-army chief," he said.

Four Special Service Group commandos, who already have taken retirement, serve as bodyguards for Musharraf, Ilyas said.

The appointment of a serving army officer and other government employees as staff for Musharraf is unprecedented, experts said.

Pakistan's only other living former President Rafiq Tarar said no army officer had been assigned to him.

According to existing rules, four persons are appointed to serve a president after he leaves office - a personal security officer, a police guard, a driver and a cook.

"No other official, besides these four, are allowed (for) an ex-president," Tarar said.

Ilyas said he was with Musharraf "not because of Pakistan Army but because of President Zardari."

He added: "No regular army official is allowed (to serve with a former president) and my duty with President Musharraf is simply a courtesy to the ex-President."

Experts also said that staff provided to a former president is meant to serve only within Pakistan and do not accompany him if he opts to live outside the country.

Former army chief Gen Mirza Aslam Beg said rules of the Pakistan Army earlier allowed ex-army chiefs to have a batman, a personal secretary, a driver and an official telephone.

However, slain former premier Benazir Bhutto ordered these facilities to be withdrawn and this order still stands, he said.

The Pakistan Army spokesman had clarified some time ago that Col Ilyas is on attachment with the Interior Ministry, which sent him to serve with Musharaf in London.

Ilyas, however, told The News that he was never attached with the Interior Ministry and had been serving the presidency for the past ten years.

Presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar did not comment on the issue of Ilyas being deputed by Zardari to serve with Musharraf.

 

[fatman17]

Give more military assistance to Pakistan: Powell to US

Posted: Tue Nov 16 2010,

Washington:

Powell said the Pak Army chief was facing a tough task in the war against terror along the Pak-Afghan border.

With the world's most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden still elusive, the Obama administration must give Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani adequate mobility or intelligence capability he needs to win the war against terror, former US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said.


Powell, who recently met Kayani at his home, said the Pakistani Army chief was facing a tough task in the war against terror along the Pak-Afghan border.


"He's got a tough problem. This is the most difficult terrain imaginable. And he has troops, but he doesn't have the kind of mobility or intelligence capability that he needs," Powell said.


He said the terrain where Osama and other terror leaders were hiding was a difficult region.


"It is difficult terrain. I mean, we -- we often think about that region as if you can just go anywhere you want in a few hours. And we -- we have to keep this in mind, too, when we talk about Pakistan, because our Pakistani friends are an important part ...," Powell said.


"So if there's one recommendation I would give to our government, we've got to do a better job of giving General Kayani and the Pakistani armed forces the wherewithal to get into these very difficult areas," the 73-year-old former general and statesman told CNN's Larry King.


Asked whether the Obama administration was listening to pleas for more assistance to Pakistani army, Powell said: "So far, I think the government understands the problem. And I think they are trying to provide him more resources, more money. But I still think it's inadequate to the task that he's facing."

Responding to a question why bin Laden still remains at large, Powell said that was because the US army has not caught him.


"It is because we haven't caught him. I don't know where he is. He is somewhere, I'm reasonably sure."


Asked if bin Laden was still alive, Powell said: "I have no reason to believe he's not living, but, you know, you can't prove it. Every six months or a year, out comes a tape that suggests he's still living. But he has proven himself to be a master at hiding himself."


"People think it's easy to find somebody who is making every effort not to be found. I have faced this in a number of situations. With all of our satellites, with all of our electronic means, with all of our spies, still, people are able to hide from us for an extended period of time," he said.


"We couldn't catch Manuel Noriega right away in Panama. We couldn't catch Mr. (General Mohamed Farrah) Aidid in Somalia right away."


Powell also noted that bin Laden was not walking around giving television interviews. "And he is hiding. And as long as he is hidden and afraid to use a telephone, afraid to use a satellite radio, afraid to do anything except give a video interview every six months, he is not the same force he was 10 years ago."


"He is trying to stay alive. And, therefore, we have a different kind of al-Qaeda that we're dealing with than the al-Qaeda that struck us on 9/11," Powell said.

 

[monitor]

Little old but relevent article about pakistan army chief
Pak army chief gets 3 yrs
more: Mixed reactions

Barrister Harun ur Rashid

On 22 July, the government of Pakistan announced that it has decided to extend the term of another 3 years of the army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (58). General Kayani was originally due to retire on November 28, but will now remain in office until 2013.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani described the general as essential to the nation's fight against militancy. General Kayani has led the Pakistani army since November 2007 when General Pervez Musharraf stepped aside.
Gilani has said that the government was not under any kind of pressure prior to its decision to extend Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's tenure. The extension is only the second such incident in Pakistan's history when a civilian regime has increased the services of the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS).
The first such extension was given by former President Iskandar Mirza to General Ayub Khan. The three army chiefs-Field Marshal Ayub Khan, General Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervez Musharraf had extended their own terms while holding their office as the President.
Some analysts say there seems to be three basic reasons for the extension.
One, the perceived successes in the war against the Taliban in the tribal areas;
Two, his rapport with American military officers; and
Three, his attempts at keeping the military out of politics.
The US pays the Pakistani military an estimated $ 1 billion a year to fight the militants. They heavily depended on General Kayani's permission for the CIA drones striking at Qaeda and Taliban operatives in the tribal areas and appreciative of his efforts to ensure transit on the supply route to US and NATO troops in Afghanistan that runs through Pakistan.
The US has praised General Kayani for his army's campaign against the Taliban but behind the scenes the Americans have reportedly been disappointed with his failure to disown the Afghan Taliban who benefit from sanctuaries in Pakistan's tribal areas.
Kayani has been the focal point for the Obama administration. The US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen paid regular visits to General Kayani to encourage him to stop the Pakistani-based Taliban from crossing into Afghanistan and fighting US.
General Kayani is regarded as the nation's most powerful person who is not personally corrupt and as the army chief he is de facto the guardian of nuclear arsenal. The US is comfortable with the current position that military oversees all elements of nuclear programme in Pakistan.

Control of nuke
Although the top civil officers dominate the National Command Authority which controls the nuclear arms, many of the day-to-day operations including security of nuclear weapons are reportedly made by the Special Plans Division, located near the Islamabad airport. It is run by General Khalid Kidwai under overall command of General Kayani.
General Kidwai was appointed by former President General Musharraf. General Kidwai remains in place after the Zardari government came into power. Pakistan possesses 75 to 100 nuclear weapons. The deepest concern for the US and allies is: Will they fall under the hand and control of Islamic extremists?
At the moment, Pakistan's nuclear weapons are judged to be safe. The nuclear warheads are separated from the weapons systems. The Americans have helped install a special system of locking and unlocking that would be extremely difficult for an outsider to operate. And the warheads are separate from the missiles.

Kayani's influence
Although Pakistan has recently introduced parliamentary form of government in which the chief executive is the Prime Minister, it is widely believed that General Kayani has a strong say and is the key person who makes all the vital strategic decisions.
Kayani is widely regarded as a quiet, professional soldier, who has helped transform the army in his tenure from a largely conventional force to one that is effectively fighting an irregular war inside its own borders. He was the former head of Inter-services intelligence (ISI), a position that provided him intimate knowledge of activities of Pakistan's various intelligence agencies. He maintains a low public profile and is seen as a thinking General.
From the very beginning, , he stated a policy of keeping the army out of politics, a policy that he tried reportedly to maintain even while selectively intervening in political squabbles as a referee.

Mixed reaction
The news that General Kayani would serve another three years has been received with mixed reviews. Political analysts in Pakistan have warned that the three-year extension of General Kayani's tenure will undermine the authority of the country's parliament.
Rasul Baksh Raaes, a political analyst at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, said that the extension "reinforces that the civilian leaders have failed to establish their constitutional supremacy over the military and the military remains a very powerful institution."
Human rights activist and renowned lawyer, Asma Jahangir, has also expressed concern over the extension. She termed the decision a disappointing measure, and claimed that the country's democratic process is weak. "Our 63 years of history is evident that every general damaged the democratic process whenever he was given a promotion or extension in his job," Asma said.
Cyril Almeida, an editor of the Dawn, the country's most prestigious newspaper, said: "Kayani is supposed to preside over the finest institution in the country and if he regards himself as indispensable, it cannot be read in a positive way."
By giving an extension to General Kayani, there is a view among many Pakistanis that the Pakistan army does not have a General that can lead it. They believe an institution should not be dependent on individuals. The next in line should be capable enough to perform the duties of the current Chief.
Politically, the country will of necessity see another election during Kayani's extended term, unless things deteriorate so dramatically internally or in relations with Pakistan's fractious neighbours that the army, under public pressure, mounts another coup.
The writer is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.

 

[air marshal]

No PR481/2010-ISPR
Rawalpindi - November 18, 2010:

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani spent second day of Eid with troops deployed in Azad Kashmir.

COAS visited various locations along the Line of Control in Lipa and Neelum Valleys. He informally interacted with the troops and appreciated their morale and professionalism. He said that entire Nation felt proud of our soldiers deployed in the challenging weather and terrain conditions for the defence of Motherland.

Earlier COAS was received by Corps Commander, Lieutenant General Khalid Nawaz Khan at one of the forward posts.

 

[air marshal]

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani spent second day of Eid with troops deployed in Azad Kashmir.(18-11-2010)- Photo ISPR

 

[pkpatriotic]

COAS General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani visited CMH Peshawar and inquired about the health of patients today. (16-11-2010)- Photo ISPR

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

^^^^^

wow...gunshot wounds to the chest, right shoulder & thigh. Mashallah the Scout seems to be making good recovery. What a trooper. Wish him speedy recovery Inshallah.

 

[pkpatriotic]

EXERCISE CAMBRIAN PATROL – UNITED KINGDOM - Pakistan Army team stood first in the event amongst 70 British and 16 teams from other countries of the world including USA, Canada, Germany, France and India etc.

 

[air marshal]

 

[fatman17]

Petraeus hails Pakistani efforts

PARIS: A top French lawmaker says General David Petraeus has praised Pakistan’s “good cooperation” in the fight against terrorists and said that allied training of Afghan forces is advancing quickly. The top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan is in Paris for meetings with officials. Axel Poniatowski, who heads the National Assembly’s foreign affairs commission, says Petraeus briefed lawmakers about how the allies have trained 260,000 Afghan troops. ap

 

[fatman17]

Kayani orders probe of NLC irregularities


Pakistan Army Chief Gen Ashfaque Pervez Kayani has ordered inquiry into irregularities in National Logistic Cell (NLC). The Army Chief has constituted high level three members committee for probe headed by an in-service Corps Commander.

Two Major Generals will be the members of the committee. The committee will inquire into the matter and suggest punishments for culprits as per the Army rules. The matter of irregularities in NLC was raised in a meeting of Public Accounts Committee of the parliament.

 

[Sinnerman108]

Petraeus hails Pakistani efforts

PARIS: A top French lawmaker says General David Petraeus has praised Pakistan’s “good cooperation” in the fight against terrorists and said that allied training of Afghan forces is advancing quickly. The top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan is in Paris for meetings with officials. Axel Poniatowski, who heads the National Assembly’s foreign affairs commission, says Petraeus briefed lawmakers about how the allies have trained 260,000 Afghan troops. ap

Sir,

I am pained to see this post, and i will protest this, on the following grounds.

We DO NOT need approval, appraisal by one one.


I just hate it when any words coming specially from the "fair skinned"
are drummed about in praise songs.

no offense intended , but some how when ever I see such exercises, I feel the white is master days are back.

Our country, our army, our own dedication.

 

[sparklingway]

Kayani orders probe of NLC irregularities

Pakistan Army Chief Gen Ashfaque Pervez Kayani has ordered inquiry into irregularities in National Logistic Cell (NLC). The Army Chief has constituted high level three members committee for probe headed by an in-service Corps Commander.

Two Major Generals will be the members of the committee. The committee will inquire into the matter and suggest punishments for culprits as per the Army rules. The matter of irregularities in NLC was raised in a meeting of Public Accounts Committee of the parliament.

Is this an investigation into the personal conduct of the Army officers sent on deputation or an institutional investigation? Only a week or so ago we were told that NLC has been ordered to stop posing as a defence organization and taking tax exempts as such. Moreover, NLC is organizationally under the Planning Commission. So Kayani ordered an investigation into an organization's affairs that do not fall under his command?

 

[Xeric]

^^^^^

wow...gunshot wounds to the chest, right shoulder & thigh. Mashallah the Scout seems to be making good recovery. What a trooper. Wish him speedy recovery Inshallah.

Did you see the tick on 'VSIL'..?

 

[air marshal]

COAS orders inquiry into alleged NLC irregularities

ISLAMABAD, Nov 23 (APP): The Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, on Tuesday ordered a high level inquiry into alleged NLC irregularities.

A serving Corps Commander has been nominated to head the inquiry alongwith two Major Generals as members.Appropriate action will be taken on completion of the court of inquiry, as per relevant Army rules and regulations.