Lt Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kiani

General Ashfaq Pervez Kiani(b.Aug 1950 -) is a Pakistani general and vice chief of army staff (VCOAS). He plans to take over the post on October 8, 2007 when the former vice chief General Ahsan Saleem Hayat is due for retirement. He will become the army chief when President Pervez Musharraf resigns in October 2007.

Army Career

Ashfaq Kiani was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in 1970 in the Infantry's Baloch Regiment. He is graduate of Command and Staff College, Quetta, Malaysian Armed Forces Staff College, Kuala Lumpur, Asia Pacific College of Security Studies, Hawaii, USA, National Defence College, Pakistan and holds MSc degree in War Studies.

During his military career, he has commanded Light Anti Tank Unit and an Infantry Battalion, two Infantry Brigades, Infantry Division and has participated in India Pakistan War 1971. He has held various instructional appointments at prestigious training institutions like School of Infantry & Tactics, Command and Staff College and has served as Deputy Commandant at Pakistan Military Academy. He has served as Brigade Major in two Infantry Brigades, General Staff Officer-1 and Director Military Operations (Plans) in Military Operations Directorate, Director General in Military Intelligence Directorate and has been the Chief of General Staff of Pakistan Army.

Corps Commander Rawalpindi

Ashfaq Kiani was promoted as Lieutenant General in September 2003, and given the command of all-important Rawalpindi Corps, in place of Lt Gen Syed Arif Hasan. It is known that an army chief cannot build an army coup without the help of this corps commander, as this is the closest to the capital, Islamabad. He led the corps till October 2004, when he was transferred to ISI as its chief, being replaced by Lt Gen Salahuddin Satti.

During this time, Kiani also led the investigation against the perpetrators who launched two back-to-back suicide attacks against General Pervez Musharraf in December 2003. It is believed that Kiani won the trust of Musharraf, who would as the army chief and the president give the most sensitive posts of Pakistan Army

Director ISI

In October 2004, Ashfaq Kiani was made the director general of ISI, in place of General Ehsan ul Haq, who proceeded to the chairmanship of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee as a four-star general. Kiani led the ISI during the bleak times of wars in Waziristan and Balochistan, AQ Khan's nuclear proliferation scandal, and waves of suicide attacks through out Pakistan emanating from the northwestern tribal belt. In his final days at the ISI, he also led the talks with Benazir Bhutto for possible power sharing deal with Musharraf. In October 2007, after the three year stint, he was replaced by Lt Gen Nadeem Taj, another Musharraf loyalist.

Vice Chief of Army Staff

In October 2007, Kiani was promoted as a full general, and made the vice chief of army staff. It is believed that once Musharraf retires from the post of army chief as promised, Kiani will take over as the new army chief of Pakistan Army.

Musharraf picks 'US-friendly' Kayani as new Army Chief

Pakistani President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday handpicked former Pakistani intelligence chief Lt Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani the new Army Chief, DawnNews TV reported.

Lt-Gen Kayani is the seniormost general after Gen Musharraf. "Kayani is the most competent candidate by far," a Western military official in Islamabad had said earlier this week.

Now the question is, Do you trust this man? What are the chances of him throwing out Musharraf's so-called democratic civilian government in near future? Oh come on, we have seen Zia (appointed by Bhutto as favorite) arresting and laters executing him. I believe that something like that will happen in the future but then again, I haven't seen an Army personnel going against another.