Army, ISI to stay away from impeachment

[LRE]

Army, ISI to stay away from impeachment




Tuesday, August 12, 2008

By Ansar Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has recently conveyed to President Pervez Musharraf that the military does not want to be dragged into any political controversy and prefers to remain focused on its professional and constitutional responsibilities, a source has revealed.

The source, having strong connections in military circles, said Gen Kayani does not want to spoil the efforts he initiated soon after becoming the Army chief to redeem the lost respect of the Army.

The source said the president was clearly conveyed that the impeachment issue should remain an affair between Musharraf and his political foes. Army spokesman and ISPR Director-General Maj-Gen Athar Abbas, however, when contacted said he would not like to speculate on this as he does not have any knowledge of such a communication. The source, who is also known to both the president and the Army Chief, said on the basis of his personal knowledge and experience Gen Kayani is a highly professional soldier, who despite his long association with Musharraf would never like to offer him the kind of support that the retired general would be expecting from his previous institution.

The source confirmed an earlier report that President Musharraf was extremely unhappy with Gen Kayani for keeping the Pakistan Army and the ISI away from manipulating the last general elections. The president, the source said, was all set to remove the present Army chief and replace him with a compliant general but he could not do that.

He said the president was told by a friend that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif could not remove him while he was in the air in 1999 so how could he think of removing an Army chief, who is very much on the ground and has done extremely well to redeem the respect of the institution.

The ISI, which has been involved in dirty politics during the last eight years to strengthen Musharraf, is also a silent spectator today. Although, ISI Director-General Lt-Gen Nadeem Taj, who is said to be a distant cousin of Musharraf, has been very close to the president, but sources said being a member of the disciplined force he, too, could not go beyond the limits set by the Army chief.

An ISI official, who serves in the internal wing that is headed by Maj-Gen Nusrat Naeem, also told this correspondent that the agency is not using its muscles to influence the ongoing impeachment move in any manner.

The source said the ISI’s political role has been checked tremendously during the last several months and the clear proof of this was the Feb 18 elections. “Have you heard anything in all these months of the ISI’s usual political manoeuvres and background pressures,” the source wondered.

Like Lt-Gen Nadeem Taj, Maj-Gen Nusrat Naeem too has been very close to Musharraf. Nusrat Naeem, who had replaced Ehtasham Zameer, has played an active role in the judicial crisis last years.

However, soon after Musharraf removed his uniform and handed over command to the present Army chief, the ISI, too, got out of the judicial crisis.Members of the ruling coalition also acknowledge that so far the Army and the ISI have stayed neutral; thus, allowing the political system to progress towards maturity.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=16557