Agence France-Presse,
ISLAMABAD (AFP): Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf Tuesday appointed a former intelligence chief to succeed him as head of the army in a move apparently aimed at ensuring his security if he becomes a civilian leader.
The military said the appointment of Lieutenant General Ashfaq Kiyani, a Musharraf loyalist, would be effective from Monday, two days after his current boss is due to seek re-election as president.
Musharraf, a key US ally in the “war on terror,” has said he will step down as head of the powerful army by November 15, provided that he wins another five-year term on Saturday.
“Lieutenant General Ashfaq Kiyani has been appointed the chief of army staff-designate,” top military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP.
Musharraf has been under growing international and domestic pressure to give up his military role, which he has kept since he grabbed power in a bloodless coup on October 12, 1999.
Opposition grew after Musharraf tried to sack the country's independent-minded chief justice in March, a move that sparked mass protests and growing anger against the army for its interference in politics.
Analysts said Musharraf was keen to appoint a loyalist as his army successor to ensure that he himself does not fall victim to military intervention after stepping down.
Kiyani appears to fit the bill as a former head of the country's premier spy agency, Inter Services Intelligence, or ISI, which is engaged in the hunt for Al-Qaeda militants as well as providing internal security.
The chain-smoking career soldier was replaced in that role on September 21 by Lieutenant General Nadeem Taj in a batch of promotions.
“President Musharraf has made a very correct choice as a successor in Kiyani,” retired general-turned-political analyst Talat Masood told AFP.
“He will be a healer in the civil-military divide which exists today,” Masood said.
“This will also help reduce the uncertainty surrounding Musharraf's announcement to shed his uniform and pacify those forces which were still sceptical that he would retain his army role.”
A military statement said he joined the army in 1971 and commanded several infantry units. He is a graduate of Fort Leavenworth military college in the United States, among others.
“Imbued with the qualities of head and heart, the general is perceived to be a purposeful and pragmatic Commander and embodiment of professionalism,” the statement said.
“Excellence and perfection remain the hallmark of his personality.”
The statement said Kiyani was a avid golfer and a keen sportsman, as well as president of the Pakistan Golf Association. He is married and has a son and daughter.
Musharraf announced in September that he would quit the army if he was re-elected and be sworn in as a civilian.
He has until now argued that he needed to be in control of the army to oversee Pakistan's continuing fight against Al-Qaeda and Taliban rebels holed up in the country's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
Musharraf put Kiyani personally in charge of the investigation after two assassination attempts on his life in December 2003, incidents in which both Al-Qaeda and rogue members of the armed forces were implicated.
In his autobiography, “In the Line of Fire”, Musharraf praised Kiyani's ability to get Pakistan's often fractious intelligence agencies to pull together.
“When Kiyani got tough, the problems of coordination disappeared and the agencies started working like a well-oiled machine,” Musharraf recalled.
