Pakistan gets a new army chief, gives India some hope
28 Nov 2013 5:38 AM IST
Lieutenant General Raheel Sharif, anointed Wednesday as the chief of Pakistan’s army, might have been a former confidante of Gen Parvez Musharraf, but is considered close to Abdul Qadir Baloch, a trusted aide of Nawaz Sharif.
Even this time, the adventurous Pakistan PM Sharif has gone over the head of two more senior lieutenant generals and chosen the Inspector General of Training and Evaluation, which many thought was the end of the road for Lt Gen Sharif. Earlier, on two occasions, Sharif had done the same to his own peril.
First, in 1993, he chose Lt Gen Abdul Waheed Kakkar, fourth on the probable’s list in terms of seniority. Kakkar soon bid Sharif goodbye from prime ministership being aided by then president Ghulam Ishaq Khan. The second time was even more disastrous. Sharif chose General Pervez Musharraf over the shoulders of at least two seniors. He not only threw him out of power but even wanted him to hang till death.
Lt Gen Raheel Sharif will take over on 30 November, as the current COAS, General Parvez Ashfaq Kayani retires a day earlier on 29 November. Raheel Sharif is reputed to have rewritten the ‘Infantry Manual’ of Pakistan army, possibly as a result of its close encounters in the North East Frontier Province (NWFP), South Waziristan and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) as it took on Pakistan Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Those encounters had not been particularly happy operations for Pakistan’s army, as they had to order in heavy artillery, tanks and even fighter aircraft.
According to some reports, Lt Gen Sharif has been pushing the line within the government and the army that as much as India is an enemy, so are the terrorists and militants that have based themselves on Pakistan’s own ground.
Musharraf had made him the top commander of 11 Division that was based in Lahore. He later came to the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi as the inspector general. Considered low profile, the Indian army believes he is a fail-safe choice for Sharif, as he is less gung-ho, and more of a systems man.
Lt Gen Sharif faces some very tough challenges ahead. Not only is Pakistan not safe yet from TTP’s threats, a belligerent Indian army appears to have adopted the policy of a low threshold of pain. The recent episodes of a hot Line of Control and the international border have shown the Indian army’s riposte to the Pakistan army’s firing was lethal. While the firing has stopped now, the flashpoints can erupt again unless the new COAS shows some well-known moderation of his.
Even this time, the adventurous Pakistan PM Sharif has gone over the head of two more senior lieutenant generals and chosen the Inspector General of Training and Evaluation, which many thought was the end of the road for Lt Gen Sharif. Earlier, on two occasions, Sharif had done the same to his own peril.
First, in 1993, he chose Lt Gen Abdul Waheed Kakkar, fourth on the probable’s list in terms of seniority. Kakkar soon bid Sharif goodbye from prime ministership being aided by then president Ghulam Ishaq Khan. The second time was even more disastrous. Sharif chose General Pervez Musharraf over the shoulders of at least two seniors. He not only threw him out of power but even wanted him to hang till death.
Lt Gen Raheel Sharif will take over on 30 November, as the current COAS, General Parvez Ashfaq Kayani retires a day earlier on 29 November. Raheel Sharif is reputed to have rewritten the ‘Infantry Manual’ of Pakistan army, possibly as a result of its close encounters in the North East Frontier Province (NWFP), South Waziristan and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) as it took on Pakistan Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Those encounters had not been particularly happy operations for Pakistan’s army, as they had to order in heavy artillery, tanks and even fighter aircraft.
According to some reports, Lt Gen Sharif has been pushing the line within the government and the army that as much as India is an enemy, so are the terrorists and militants that have based themselves on Pakistan’s own ground.
Musharraf had made him the top commander of 11 Division that was based in Lahore. He later came to the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi as the inspector general. Considered low profile, the Indian army believes he is a fail-safe choice for Sharif, as he is less gung-ho, and more of a systems man.
Lt Gen Sharif faces some very tough challenges ahead. Not only is Pakistan not safe yet from TTP’s threats, a belligerent Indian army appears to have adopted the policy of a low threshold of pain. The recent episodes of a hot Line of Control and the international border have shown the Indian army’s riposte to the Pakistan army’s firing was lethal. While the firing has stopped now, the flashpoints can erupt again unless the new COAS shows some well-known moderation of his.
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