ch ar F se o e u R ISSUE BRIEF ● PAKISTAN: NEW GENERALSn ON THE BLOCK r d e a v t r i e o s n b O ORF ISSUE BRIEF SEPTEMBER 2007 ISSUE BRIEF # 11 Pakistan: New Generals on the Block By Wilson John t is becoming clear even to President Pervez Musharraf, stints as the Army Chief. This has blocked promotions Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan, that he will have to step down the line and has been a cause of concern, if not dis- Idown sooner than later. There are at least three immedi- sension, within the top hierarchy. ate reasons to make such an assumption: ● Under the Constitution of Pakistan (as amended by the ● The deal with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. 17th Amendment), Musharraf can hold the dual positions The two key issues on which the entire deal hinges are till November 16,2007. After that, he will either have to the re-election of Musharraf without the uniform and the give up the option or get another amendment to extend scrapping of the bar on becoming the Prime Minister for the period, which seems to be a near impossibility giv- a third time (under the Qualifi cation to Hold Public Of- en the mood in the country and his own lack of grip on fi ces Order, 2002, of the Chief Executive’s Order No 19 things at home. of 2002, which has been made part of the Sixth Schedule under the 17th Amendment to the Constitution.) Since These factors lead us to the possible contenders for the both Bhutto and Musharraf are bound together by a sense post of Army Chief and the key Corps Commanders and of desperation to retain their respective positions of parity Principal Staff Offi cers who will, directly or indirectly, decide in Pakistan, Musharraf is likely to announce his retire- which way Pakistan will go in the near future. ment and announce the next Chief of Army Staff. ● The retirement of the Vice Chief, Lt. General Ahsan LT. GENERAL AHSAN SALEEM HAYAT Saleem Hayat and Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chief of Army Staff Committee, Lt. General Lt. General Ehsan ul Haq, on General Hayat, 59, a Rajput Muslim, is considered a key October 8, 2007. Both these offi cers are considered last of member of Musharraf’s kitchen cabinet. He is known within the Musharraf loyalists in the upper echelons of the army the military circles for his personal loyalty to Musharraf and and their retirement would leave Musharraf with only a his proximity to Washington. handful of offi cers who have been in his kitchen cabinet General Hayat, who survived an assassination attempt in since October 1999. The retirement would put additional 2004 when he was the Corps Commander, Karachi, was ap- pressure on Musharraf from within the Army to appoint pointed as the Vice Chief over six other three-star contend- a successor. In normal circumstances, Musharraf should ers. have retired in 2001 and by that count he has had four An alumnus of the PAF Public School, Sargodha, Gen- Observer Research Foundation is a public policy think-tank that aims to infl uence formulation of policies for building a strong and prosperous India. ORF pursues these goals by providing informed and productive inputs, in-depth research and stimulating discussions. The Foundation is supported in its mission by a cross-section of India’s leading public fi gures, academics and business leaders. 1 | www.orfonline.org | September 2007 ISSUE BRIEF ● PAKISTAN: NEW GENERALS ON THE BLOCK THE PAKISTAN ARMY LEADERSHIP eral Hayat joined the Armoured Corps in 1967. His career ● General Pervez Musharraf, Chief of Army Staff spanned several command, staff and instructional appoint- ● General Ahsan Saleem Hayat, Vice Chief of Army Staff ments including commanding an armoured Division, Bri- ● General Ehsan ul Haq, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. ● Lt Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kiani, Director General Inter-Services gade and a regiment. A graduate of the Command and Staff Intelligence, College, Quetta, and the National Defence College, General ● Lt Gen Salahuddin Satti, Chief of General Staff General Hayat has served as the Quarter Master General before being Headquarters appointed as the Karachi Corps Commander. ● Lt Gen Tariq Majeed, Corps Commander Rawalpindi, In June 2006, Pakistan’s Ambassador to US, General ● Lt Gen Waseem Ahmed Ashraf, Corps Commander Gu- Mahmud Durrani hosted a dinner for him in Washington jranwala, ● Lt Gen Masood Aslam, Corps Commander Peshawar, which was attended by US Congressmen, diplomats and ● Lt Gen Shafaatullah Shah, Corps Commander Lahore, other movers and shakers. General Hayat has also been ● Lt Gen Sikandar Afzal, Corps Commander Multan, participating in the tripartite commission, representing the ● Lt Gen Sajjad Akram, Corps Commander Mangla, US, Afghanistan and Pakistan, to work out a blueprint for ● Lt Gen Khalid Shameem Wynne, Corps Commander Quet- Afghanistan. As a representative of Musharraf, he has been ta, dealing with US Centcom and the Afghan National Army. He ● Lt Gen Ahsan Azhar Hayat, Corps Commander Karachi, ● Lt Gen Raza Muhammad Khan, Corps Commander Baha- has been awarded Legion d’Honnneur by the French govern- walpur ment, an indication of his popularity with western govern- ● Lt Gen Syed Absar Hussain, Commander Army Strategic ments. Forces Command. As the Vice Chief, he assists Musharraf in day-to-day ● Lt Gen Muhammad Yousaf, Vice Chief of General Staff Gen- functioning of the army, especially the anti-al Qaida opera- eral Headquarters tions. In fact, for the past two years, Hayat has been virtually ● Lt Gen Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, Director General Strategic Planning Division, running the Army since General Musharraf has been heavily ● Lt Gen Malik Arif Hayat, Director General C4I (Command, involved in political and foreign policy matters. Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence), Known to be mild-mannered, General Hayat poses no ● Lt Gen Safdar Hussain, Chief of Logistics Staff General threat to Musharraf. Unless appointed as the Chief, he retires Headquarters, on October 8, 2007. ● Lt Gen Mohammed Sabir, Director General Military Ser- vices, General Headquarters, ● Lt Gen Syed Athar Ali, Director General Joint Staff at Joint LT. GENERAL EHSAN UL HAQ Staff Headquarters, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee ● Lt Gen Hamid Rab Nawaz, Inspector General Training and General Haq, 58, an urbane officer with moderate religious Evaluation General Headquarters, beliefs, superceded at least seven three-star officers to be- ● Lt Gen Imtiaz Hussain, Adjutant General General Head- come the Chairman, JCSC, an indication of his proximity to quarters, General Musharraf. ● Lt Gen Afzal Muzaffar, Quarter Master General, General Headquarters, A firm Musharraf loyalist, General Haq was appointed as ● Lt Gen Syed Sabahat Hussain, Chairman Pakistan Ord- the Director General of ISI shortly after the 9/11 attacks. His nance Factories, orders were to clean up the stables and prevent the Ameri- ● Lt Gen Israr Ahmed Ghumman, Director General Heavy cans from leaning heavily on Pakistan to investigate the ISI’s Industries Taxila, role in sustaining the Taliban and al Qaida in neighbouring ● Lt Gen Hamid Khan, President National Defence Univer- Afghanistan. General Haq, with a vast experience of com- sity, ● Lt Gen Mushtaq Ahmed Baig, Surgeon General, General mand, staff and instructional appointments, successfully Headquarters, purged radical elements within the intelligence directorate ● Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmad, Deputy Chairman Earthquake Re- without causing trouble either for himself or the President. habilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA), No less important was his role in shutting down the Kash- ● Lt Gen Muhammad Zaki, Director General Infantry Gen- mir directorate in the ISI in January 2002. eral Headquarters, His tenure in the ISI was, however, not without contro- ● Lt Gen Ijaz Ahmed Bakhshi, Director General Weapons and Equipment General Headquarters, versies. He came under suspicion in February, 2002, when ● Lt Gen Mohammad Ashraf Saleem, Commander Army Air Omar Sheikh, one of the principal accused in the case relat- Defence Command, ing to the kidnapping and murder of US journalist Daniel ● Lt Gen Shahid Niaz, Engineer-in-Chief Frontier Works Or- Pearl, reportedly told the Karachi Police during the inter- ganisation. rogation that during a visit to Kandahar before 9/11 to meet 2 | www.orfonline.org | September 2007 ISSUE BRIEF ● PAKISTAN: NEW GENERALS ON THE BLOCK Osama, he had come to know of Al Qaeda’s plans for the Chief are remote, as traditionally the officer who has been an 9/11 terrorist strikes in the US and had mentioned this to ISI chief is not favoured for the top position. Ehsanul Haq at Peshawar on his return. Besides, General Haq has a problem on the US front. Al- Omar Sheikh’s allegation did not, however, affect Ehsanul though he has a working relationship with the US, his Pash- Haq’s position as the DG, ISI. The US was reported to have tun identity could become a handicap in the present context. been quite happy with his stewardship of the ISI for three The US is keen on keeping a General in the saddle who can years during which some pro-jihadi officers were eased out take on the Taliban-Al Qaida combine dominated by Pash- and many key Al Qaeda operatives, who had taken shelter tuns. in Pakistan, including Khaled Sheikh Mohammad, were ar- He is married and has two sons and two daughters. The rested by the ISI and handed over to the Federal Bureau of General is widely travelled and is a keen golfer as well as an Investigation (FBI). Though concerns over his perceived in- avid reader. He retires on October 8, 2007. action against the Taliban leaders operating from the Paki- stani territory persisted, this did not affect his standing with LT.