ISI chief shifted in major reshuffle

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, OCT. 8. In a significant reshuffle of the army top brass, the Pakistan President and the Chief of Army Staff, General Pervez Musharraf, has promoted two Lieutenant Generals to the rank of General. The promotions meant supersession of two senior Generals, including the ISI chief, Lt. Gen. Mehmood Ahmad, who has also been shifted out as chief of the most powerful institution in the Pakistani army.

The replacement of the ISI chief took place almost simultaneously with the airstrikes by the U.S. and the U.K. on Afghanistan. Gen. Musharraf's action triggered speculation of possible differences within the army over its approach towards the Taliban regime.

Though Gen. Musharraf, at a news conference today, categorically ruled out any connection between the change of guard in the ISI and Afghanistan, political observers and diplomats here are not inclined to buy the line.

The outgoing ISI chief has been an important player in the developments in the post-September 11 scenario. He was in Washington at the time of the terror strikes and was forced to spend a week there as the civil aviation industry in the U.S. came to a virtual standstill.

Immediately on his return to Islamabad, Lt. Gen. Mahmood led an official delegation on behalf of the Pakistan Government to Kandahar to persuade the Taliban supremo, Mullah Omar, to give in to the demand of surrendering Osama bin Laden. In the next few days, he accompanied another delegation of the ulema (religious scholars) to Mullah Omar. Both the missions failed. In fact, the second mission proved to be an embarrassment to the Musharraf Government as the ulema, that was facilitated to travel to Kandahar, went there only to endorse the line of the Taliban militia against the U.S. and its allies. It was reported that even as the ulema was closeted with Mullah Omar, the ISI chief was kept out.

Gen. Musharraf sought to justify the ISI chief's transfer as a ``routine'' matter related to reshuffle in the military hierarchy and was at pains to emphasise that no meaning should be read into the changes.

``I have been contemplating these changes for some time. My tenure was coming to end on October 7 (he retired on October 6) and since it had to be extended, it was followed by some changes. Unfortunately, it coincided with the strikes on Afghanistan. I was wearing too many hats and I needed to shed some of my workload. There is nothing more to the matter'', Gen. Musharraf said.

In a late night move on Sunday, Gen. Musharraf elevated two Lt. Generals to the rank of four-star Generals and posted one of the promoted Generals, Lt. Gen. Muhammad Yousuf, Chief of General Staff Pakistan Army, as Vice Chief of Army Staff. The Vice Chief of Staff is a newly-created post.

He also elevated the Corps Commander, Lahore, Lt. Gen. Mohammad Aziz, and made him Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Committee, a post currently held by Gen. Musharraf himself.

Media reports here said both the superseded Generals have resigned. The chief spokesman of the military, Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi, confirming that they had been superseded, however, said he was not aware of their resignation.

The elevation of the two Generals meant the superseding of the Deputy Chief of Army Chief Staff, Lt. Gen. Muzaffar Husain Usmani, who was appointed to the post without promotion in May this year.

It also said that Lt. Gen. Eshanul Haq, Corps Commander, Peshawar, has been posted as the new ISI chief to replace, Gen. Mehmood. The changes came a day after Gen. Musharraf extended his own services as Chief of Army.

Commenting on the changes, The News said the ``old team of the country's top military made way for new faces as Gen. Musharraf's historic decision to completely overhaul Pakistan's Afghan policy started to take shape''.

This reshuffle at the General Headquarters of the Army Q means that Lt. Aziz Khan, Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Ahmad ud Ahmad, Lt. Gen. Muzzaffer Usmani, who had served as the closest associates of Gen. Musharraf, since he took power in a military coup that was staged by the same set of Generals have now been asked to make way for a fresh team - and possibly for a new era of Pakistan's foreign and national security goals, it said.

On October 12 1999, Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Ahmad, then Corps Commander, Rawalpindi, had ordered his troops to take over the then Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif's house and the PTV. Gen. Mehmoud himself went to arrest Mr. Sharif.

In Karachi, Gen. Usmani had secured the safe landing of Gen. Musharraf's plane by defying orders from the former Prime Minister, it said.

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