Musharraf reshuffles top army brass

Islamabad, September 21: After his pledge to the Supreme Court to quit as Army Chief if re-elected as President, Pervez Musharraf on Friday carried out a major reshuffle of top Pakistan army commanders and appointed a new ISI chief.

In the reshuffle, regarded as a prelude to a major one early next month to appoint his possible successor, Musharraf promoted six Major Generals as Lieutenant Generals as several slots of top Generals, including the number two post — the Vice Chief of Army and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) would fall vacant on October 7.

The nominee for the deputy Army Chief was expected to be the successor of Musharraf.

Maj Gen Nadeem Taj was promoted as Lt Gen and made Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the country’s powerful spy agency. Gen Taj would replace Lt Gen Pervez Ashfaq Kiyani as ISI chief.

Gen Kiyani, who previously held the post of military secretary to former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and is currently involved in talks with her to bring about a political rapprochement between her and the President, is regarded as a top contender to be appointed as Musharraf’s successor if he chooses to relinquish the post of Army Chief.

Kiyani could be picked up for either the post of Vice Army Chief or CJCSC. Kiyani accompanied Musharraf during his meeting with Bhutto in Abu Dhabi two months ago.

Gen Taj is another of Musharraf's close associates in the army, who flew with him from Colombo to Karachi on the day of the military coup in October 1999.

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