Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani gave army chief General Ashfaq Kayani three more years in the top job on Thursday, saying the country had reached a vital stage in the battle against militants.
Gilani said that the decision to give the extension to the 58-year-old — viewed by many as the most powerful man in the country — had been taken to ensure continuity of command. He made the announcement in a brief televised address to the nation, underlining the importance of the move.
The decision had been taken after relaxing the rules and keeping in view the key role played by Kayani in the war against terror, he said.
Kayani assumed command of the Pakistan army in November 2007 after his predecessor Pervez Musharraf relinquished command amid international pressure to end his eight years of military rule.
Attacks blamed on Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked militants have killed more than 3,500 people across the country since government troops besieged a radical mosque in Islamabad in July 2007.
“The basic consideration of the government behind extending Kayani’s tenure is to ensure continuity of military command and policy in the ongoing anti-terror war,” analyst Hasan Askari said.
“Kayani has developed good rapport with top US and NATO military officials, which has been very helpful for Pakistan to put across its point of view on critical issues,” he said.
“General Kayani also suits our government because he never created any problems for them,” Askari said. “There are no misunderstandings between the military and the civilian government, which is a good sign.”
Meanwhile, a newly released video of what appeared to be fugitive radical Pakistani cleric Maulana Fazlullah shows him firing gunshots and addressing a group of suicide bombers.
Fazlullah mounted a violent two-year campaign to enforce Shariah law in Swat, opposing education for girls and beheading opponents until the government ordered in thousands of troops.
The 40-minute video shows Fazlullah talking with a group whom he called suicide bombers.
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