| India-Pakistan |
| Musharraf blames Kayani for delay in action against Taliban |
| 2015-01-29 |
 [DAWN] Former army chief retired Gen Pervez Musharraf believes that one of the reasons why the country’s security challenges have become almost insurmountable now is because his successor, retired Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, was too scared to take action against militants.In an interview with Dawn on Tuesday, Gen Musharraf said that it was Gen Kayani’s own reluctance — and not poor judgement — that caused him to not launch an operation against the Taliban. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Musharraf resigned under deal: Gilani |
| 2014-07-12 |
| [DAWN] PPP leader and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's former prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics could be awe-inspiring ... revealed here on Friday that during his government an understanding had been reached with the establishment that then president retired Gen  Pervez PervMusharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... would be given an honourable exit if he resigned, instead of going through impeachment proceedings. Talking to journalists during a visit to PPP's Sindh Media Cell, Mr Gilani said that talks held with the establishment had led to the understanding about Gen Musharraf's resignation and going abroad. He claimed that it was a big achievement and said that a person who had become president after a referendum which was also endorsed by the judiciary had agreed to resign as a result of successful negotiations. Former premier says then army chief Gen Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... wanted the decision about North .png) Wazoo operation to be taken only by himselfAccording to Online, Mr Gilani said the PML-N was also part of the talks held with the establishment to get rid of Gen Musharraf. It had been decided to let the former president go if he stepped down, he said, adding that it wasn't possible to ask a powerful military ruler to resign without the assistance of the establishment. Mr Gilani said PML-N's present conduct on the issue of Gen Musharraf was not correct because it should keep in mind the details agreed upon with the establishment. He said he did not support Gen Musharraf but was only informing the nation about the commitments made that time. On a question relating to North Waziristan, he said his government did not take up the matter of launching an operation because then army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani wanted the decision to be taken only by himself. Mr Gilani rejected perceptions about democracy facing threats or chances of changes in the government in near future and advised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... and PTI chief Imran Khan  ... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems... to resolve issues because politicians should always keep the doors of talks open. They should normalise their relations and work for strengthening democracy and parliament. Answering a question, he said holding public meetings and taking out processions were constitutional rights of every party, but the PPP would not back any unconstitutional move to derail the democratic set-up. The politics of the 1990s has been rejected by the people and the PPP will not indulge in politics of confrontation. He called for compliance with the Constitution and said the leadership in Punjab should broaden its vision, look beyond Lahore and adopt a countrywide approach. The former premier said the government had not taken the people and politicianship of the country into confidence about talks with Taliban and the military operation in North Waziristan. He said people did not tolerate anyone for a long period and, therefore, it would be better to reduce the tenure of a government from five years to four. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| 12 militants killed in clash with security forces in Dir |
| 2013-09-23 |
| At least 12 Meanwhile, Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Saturday visited the Swat valley and reiterated that the army would continue to play its role in rebuilding the area and assisting civil administration in maintenance of law and order. Praying for Maj-Gen Sanaullah Khan, Lt-Colonel Touseef Ahmed and Lance Naik Irfan Sattar, he paid rich tribute to them for their ultimate sacrifice and said that the whole nation would remain indebted to them, said a Press release by military spokesman. Recounting the success of military operation in Swat in 2009, the chief of army staff appreciated the troops for successfully evicting the |
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| India-Pakistan |
| No need for 'grand operation' in Karachi: Rehman Malik |
| 2013-03-17 |
 [Dawn] Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday said that there was no need to conduct any 'grand operation' in Karachi, DawnNews reported.Malik said that only 15-20 miscreants were responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation in the city and would be caught soon by authorities. The interior minister alleged that the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) was involved in spreading violence in Karachi, adding that LeJ members flee to Rahim Yar Khan or Dera Ghazi Khan after committing crimes in the city. Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad, the interior minister said that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) played a major role in fighting against terrorism. Malik also praised the role of the Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in fighting terrorism. Moreover, he said that he had successfully completed the duty assigned to him, adding that he would be happy to help, should the new government require his assistance. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Kayani conveys army's concerns to Zardari |
| 2013-03-08 |
| [Dawn] Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... conveyed to  President Asif Ali Ten PercentZardari ... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ... on Thursday the military's concerns over the rapidly deteriorating law and order and called for urgent steps to deal with the situation. Soon after a corps commanders' conference, where the military's top brass reviewed the internal security situation, the army chief met President Zardari to communicate the disquiet among his commanders about the security situation spiralling out of control. No details of the meeting were officially revealed either by the army or the presidency. A one-line statement on the meeting issued by the presidency said: "Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani today called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr. Security situation was discussed during the meeting." A day earlier, the army chief had visited Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... for a briefing on the situation in the city where sectarianism has added a new dimension to continuing violence. Sources in the presidency said the discussion revolved around recent incidents in Quetta and Karachi and an operation against the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... They claimed that Gen Kayani had spoken about improper and inefficient utilisation of civilian law-enforcement agencies by the federal and provincial governments in dealing with terrorism. Gen Kayani has in the past publicly expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... s over the poor performance of law-enforcement agencies. He also pointed out the existence of myrmidon wings of certain political parties and connections of some parties with terrorist groups as a major contributing factor to the wave of violence that has gripped the country. Gen Kayani is said to have reiterated the army's commitment to fully supporting the civilian law-enforcement agencies if asked by the government. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| 6 killed, 50 injured in Pak blast |
| 2012-12-29 |
| At least six persons were killed and nearly 50 others injured when a powerful explosion ripped through a bus a short distance from the Pakistan Army chief's official residence in the southern port city of Karachi on Saturday. The bus had just left a terminal near the Cantonment Railway Station when the bomb went off, witnesses and police officials said. The incident occurred at a spot located less than a kilometre from Army House, the army chief's official residence when he visits Karachi. TV news channels reported army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was in Karachi and had stayed at Army House on Friday night. Officials at Jinnah Hospital said they had received six bodies, including one which was in pieces, and 48 injured people. Eight of the wounded were in a serious condition. Women and children were among the injured, they said. Witnesses said they had seen body parts lying at the site. One man told reporters a young boy was torn in two by the explosion. Several police officials claimed soon after the incident that the blast was caused by the CNG cylinders of the bus. However, the cleaner of the bus told the media that the vehicle ran on diesel and had no CNG cylinders. There goes that theory! |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Accord between commanders: Pak-Afghan soil not to be used for border raids |
| 2012-07-01 |
[Dawn]  Pakistan's military establishment and the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) have resolved that territories of Pakistan and Afghanistan will no longer be used as safe havens for cross-border attacks.The commitment was made at a meeting of top military officers of the two sides. According to a joint statement of the Pakistan Army and Isaf issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Friday, Isaf Commander General John R. Allen, who had arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday, held a detailed meeting with Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The ISRP spokesman quoted Gen Allen as saying: "This visit helped advance our efforts to achieve the regional stability. Additionally, the meeting provided us a perfect opportunity to refocus our attention on our continuing efforts to eliminate the corrosive effects of extremists operating on both sides of the border." The purpose of the trip was to build on the positive momentum established during last month's meeting of the Afghanistan-Pakistan-Isaf Tripartite Commission. During the tripartite gathering, the first such discussion in nearly a year, commanders and key staff discussed issues of tactical, operational and strategic importance, including cross-border cooperation. The meeting served as an opportunity to renew everyone's desire to address topics and issues of mutual importance. During the current visit, the commanders specifically discussed the mutual progress being made to eliminate terrorism, combat extremism and ensure that territories of both Pakistan and Afghanistan are no longer used as safe havens for cross-border attacks. "The commanders also discussed current operational realities," the military spokesman said. The US military authorities have already described the meeting between commanders of the two sides as "very productive". Pakistan-US relations hit their lowest ebb after the November Nato air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers at the Salala checkpost near the Afghan border. The attack led to suspension of Nato supplies by Pakistan. Gen Allen's visit took place two days after militants from Afghanistan attacked a checkpost in Dir and killed six security personnel. According to informed sources, General Kayani forcefully raised the issue with Gen Allen and said such incidents would cause further deterioration in the already strained relationship between Pakistan and the United States. |
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| India-Pakistan | ||||||
| Armed forces get only 18% of total budget: Kayani | ||||||
| 2012-02-14 | ||||||
JACOBABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Monday made it clear that only 18 percent of the budget was being spent on the armed forces, and of this allocation, the army got only 8 to 9 percent.
He said the induction of F-16 (Block 52) fighter jets in the PAF would strengthen air defence of the country, as this new aircraft was very modern and capable machine. Regarding the use of this aircraft in war against terror, he said it was our policy to ensure minimum use of air force in the operations being conducted inside the country. The COAS said the armed forces did not get $1.5 billion of the coalition support fund. He emphasised that the army was not involved in any operation in Balochistan and only FC, which was under the control of the Interior Ministry was conducting routine operations. He said Pakistan Army was capable of deterring Indian aggression.
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| India-Pakistan |
| Pak Gov't; We've no control over operations of Army, ISI |
| 2011-12-24 |
| In a late night development on Wednesday which added yet another twist to the memo scandal, the federal government, through the Ministry of Defence, conceded before the Supreme Court that it had no operational control over the armed forces as well as the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). A one-page reply by the defence ministry said it was not in a position to submit any reply on behalf of the armed forces and the ISI. Earlier on Dec 15, the government had submitted its reply on behalf of the ministries of interior and foreign affairs. It requested the court to dismiss the petitions over memo scandal. The filing of the reply by the defence ministry has heightened apprehensions, with many interpreting it as a telltale sign of friction between the civilian arm of the government and the military over the memo matter. Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the ISI chief, also submitted to the court his sworn affidavit through the office of Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq late on Wednesday night. He virtually repeated the stand he had taken in his reply filed earlier in the court. Earlier during the day, army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani submitted a sworn affidavit acknowledging the existence of the memorandum while PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif submitted a rejoinder. The affidavits of President Asif Ali Zardari and former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani had not arrived. Not satisfied with the replies, the court had on Dec 19 asked the petitioners as well as the respondents to submit affidavits on oath as well as paragraph-wise comments denying or accepting whatever was levelled or stated in the petitions or the replies. The court felt the need for seeking sworn affidavits and rejoinders to clear cobwebs in different stands taken by the petitioners and the respondents and to ascertain whether a question of public importance is involved to exercise jurisdiction under Article 184(3) of the Constitution by the court. However, despite clear directives, President Zardari chose to remain silent by not filing any reply. Realising the importance of the reply on part of the president, the Supreme Court at the last hearing had pointed out that allegations not rebutted would always be considered correct, implicitly asking the president to submit his point of view on the memo scandal. I am not aware of the status. However, it is a legal and constitutional issue which will appropriately be addressed in accordance with the law and the Constitution, presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar told Dawn when asked whether or not the president would file the reply. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| A state determined to kill itself |
| 2011-12-09 |
| By Khaled Ahmed A revisionist state called Pakistan is taking all measures possible to immolate itself. The Army finally ran is rival Husain Haqqani to the ground and was helped in this by internecine party politics with everyone mindlessly baying for each other's blood as the only politics they know. The national economy is gradually crumbling, its infrastructure run down and people willing to attack and burn because the state is unable to run itself. On top of it all, the most fatal hubris of a weak state - ghairat or honour - rules the collective mind. The Pakistan Army is the only popular institution in the country with processions now carrying portraits of General Kayani because he carries in him the promise of a war of honour, in other words, an honourable death, because living without honour is not living at all. On 26 November 2011, the NATO forces attacked a checkpost on the Pak-Afghan border and killed 24 Pak troops. No one knows what happened except Pakistan that says it was a pre-planned attack. Pakistan significantly got its TV cable operators to ban the BBC for showing its two-hour documentary Secret Pakistan whose facts cannot be denied or at least no one outside Pakistan will reject them. Pakistan should pause and reflect on these facts and then understand the November 26 attack in their light. BBC said on its website: 'Filmed largely in Pakistan and Afghanistan, this documentary explored how a supposed ally stands accused by top CIA officers and Western diplomats of causing the deaths of thousands of coalition soldiers in Afghanistan. It is a charge denied by Pakistan's military establishment, but the documentary makers meet serving Taliban commanders who describe the support they get from Pakistan in terms of weapons, training and a place to hide'. Pak Army is not willing to look at the non state actors despoiling the country from the inside. It defies the world asking that they be banned and brought to account and feels itself totally blameless for what happened in Mumbai in 2008 while it focuses on what has happened at Salala in 2011. If you kill others or get them killed by your non state actors, they are prone to make the kind of mistake that was made at Salala. But Pakistan welcomes war even though it has never won one and has been defeated again and again fighting India, the last one being the battle of Kargil. General Kayani has familiarly thrown the gauntlet to the US: do it again and see what happens. The world knows that nothing will happen, except that Pakistan, already in dire economic straits, will be crushed. Nawaz Sharif has gone to the Supreme Court as the one forum where the PPP government can be pulled down as a corollary to defeating the United States. (Get the traitor for joining enemy America!) He wants to get at the root of the Memogate scandal and is sure that the PPP leader Zardari was trying to double-cross the Pak Army which Nawaz Sharif now wants to stand up for. He wants the PPP government gone in short order before its tenure is up. It appears that the PMLN, with fresh warpaint on its face, the maximalist Supreme Court, intent on getting Zardari to commit hara-kiri in Switzerland, and a revengeful Army aspiring to defeat the US, are on the same page: Suspend efforts to free-trade with India, defeat the US as an obstacle to Pakistan getting its fair share of leverage in Afghanistan, and stop fighting the war against terrorists because it was never Pakistan's war, slyly hoping that the Taliban will be on Pakistan's side in the war against the US. Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has pledged a crushing retaliation if the US-ISAF forces attacked inside Pakistani territory again, 'regardless of consequences' (sic!). He told his troops, 'Be assured that we will not let the aggressor walk away easily; I have clearly directed that any act of aggression will be responded to with full force, regardless of the cost and consequences'. He wants the troops on the border with Afghanistan to take their own on-the-spot decision against any future NATO attacks without waiting for orders from the GHQ. Now they will fight the US-ISAF forces instead of the Taliban terrorists. This is a very rash approach to the situation triggered by the November 26 incident, even if it is directed as a morale-booster at the troops and meant to be interpreted differently as strategy for civil society which is obviously not prepared for war on the western front. The Americans are offering regrets even before their formal inquiry into the Salala incident is completed on 21 December. President Obama too has expressed sorrow at the death of Pakistani troops while a formal apology pends till the inquiry reveals NATO's guilt. There are however statements issuing from Washington saying the attack was unintended and that some fire had come from around the Salala checkpost. The nation is of one mind, a kind of pre-war symptom that Pakistan experienced in 1965 and 1971 when the Army painted the country into a corner through the hubris of isolationism. It is not natural that the entire nation be of uniform thinking in favour of conflict, especially if this conflict is against an immeasurably stronger adversary. If after the anger felt in the GHQ subsides and more realistic decisions are required to be taken, the disappointment among the public will take the shape of an emotional boomerang of self-disgust. We have seen that happen in the Raymond Davis case after the CIA agent was let off on diyat instead of being publicly hanged. If the common man has succumbed to an attack of 'ghairat' and is spoiling for a fight with the US, the state cannot afford to indulge in the bravado of an unequal war. If the pro-war mind is presuming that the Taliban will fight the NATO-US forces side by side with the Pak Army, putting an end to the problem of law and order in Pakistan, it is sadly deceived. It will in fact be a two-front war, one front being at the back of the Pakistani troops. The Taliban and their master al Qaeda have an agenda that will be fulfilled only by removing our brave Army Chief from his post and then using the Army to take over the country and its nuclear assets. Wisdom demands that we challenge the US realistically rather than rashly, compelling it to make amends for the Salala incident to the benefit of Pakistan. A consensus of national self-damage can occur even in democracies and it has recently taken place in the US too but in Pakistan one institution of the state dominates all decision-making functions, and those who should be ruling and not allowing this domination are busy in a lethal war of self-diminution. The fact is that there are two versions of the truth. Unfortunately the American version is what is credited at the international level while the Pakistani version can only hold if the news channels are prevented from puncturing it. Our asymmetric proxy war against India was rejected by the world while the Pakistanis were force-fed with justifiable jihad by non state actors. Its fallout was experienced by Pakistan's neighbours whose fear of what Pakistan may do next has isolated Pakistan in the region too. Even big states have to do self-correction after reversals. Weaker nations don't have the capacity to do that without being crippled in sectors where they are weak. By creating just one point of view Pakistan may entrench itself in dangerous isolation and may find it difficult to do course-correction to save its already crippled economy from collapsing. Nawaz Sharif may come to power next but the much weakened state with a broad systemic short-circuiting caused by Al Qaeda may not let him govern normally. It will be time then for the PPP to topple a non-governing Nawaz Sharif and return to power. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Pak army has liberty to hit back at Nato attacks: Kayani |
| 2011-12-02 |
| Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Friday gave his troops "full liberty" to respond to any further cross-border attacks by Nato forces in Afghanistan in the wake of an air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, official sources said. The powerful army chief told commanders of units deployed along the western border with Afghanistan that they had "full liberty of action to respond (by) employing all capabilities" available at their disposal, the sources said. Kayani was quoted by the sources as saying that there should be "no ambiguity in the rules of engagement for everyone down the chain of command" if they faced an attack by Nato forces. Such an action would "require no clearance at any level" and the army would "provide resources as required on ground", he was quoted as saying. Following Saturday's air strike on two military border posts in Mohmand Agency that killed 24 soldiers, Pakistan closed all Nato supply routes and asked the US to vacate Shamsi airbase, reportedly used by CIA-operated drones. Pakistan also decided to boycott the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan to protest the attack. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Kayani tells US problem lies in Afghanistan, not Pakistan |
| 2011-10-20 |
| ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani told a Parliamentary committee on Wednesday that the United States should focus its efforts on stabilizing war-shattered Afghanistan, rather than pressuring Pakistan to step up its war against militants on Pakistani territory. Can't expect a leopard to change its spots, after all... "The real problem lies in Afghanistan, not in Pakistan," Kayani was quoted as saying by a parliament member who attended the three-hour briefing at army headquarters in Rawalpindi. Kayani said Pakistan alone would decide if and when to launch a full-scale offensive in North Waziristan, which Western intelligence agencies say is a sanctuary for militants who cross the border to attack US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan. He also said the United States would have to think "10 times" before taking any unilateral action there. Pakistan is not like Iraq or Afghanistan, the parliamentarian quoted Kayani as saying, suggesting that any North Waziristan operation would be very risky. To whom? We seem to be drone-zapping the bad boyz at will... "The problem lies in Afghanistan, not Pakistan," the parliamentarian quoted Kayani as telling the committee in a national security briefing at army headquarters in Rawalpindi. |
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