Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani are “seriously contemplating” the removal of powerful Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani despite publicly reconciling with the general, official sources said.
“The government is seriously contemplating removal of Gen. Kayani and ISI chief Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pas-ha in one swift stroke,” a senior government official privy to the developments said, ad-ding, “The PPP government wants to make sure their political government is in charge and not the Army or ISI.” [However, Mr Gilani late on Monday night dismissed reports that his government was planning to remove Gen. Kayani and Lt. Gen. Pasha, saying he had personally ensured that both generals were given extensions in service, PTI reports. “I want to tell you these rumours that the government wants to possibly remove the director-general of the ISI and Gen. Kayani is the talk of idiots. It is very wrong for some opportunistic people to present such views among the people.”]
The last time a political government (led by Mr Nawaz Sharif) tried to sack an Army Chief (in 1999), it resulted in a military coup.
The government’s unhappiness with the two officers is now an open secret. Not only are they being held responsible for forcing Islamabad to adopt an extremely harsh stance towards Washington after the Salala massacre, the two adopted an opposing stance to that of the government in the memo affair.