South Asia News
Pakistan's Musharraf names successor as army chief
Oct 2, 2007, 10:11 GMT
Islamabad - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday named the outgoing director of the country's top spy agency to replace him as army chief.
General Ashfaq Pervez Kiani, who headed the powerful military Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), is chief of army staff-designate, the military said four days before Musharraf will seek re-election by parliament.
Kiani's nomination comes days after the military ruler promoted him and a number of other senior officers in the military and security apparatus and reshuffled several key positions.
Musharraf, a key US counter-terrorism ally, has pledged to step down as army chief if he is re-elected on October 6. He is now thought to be positioning trusted allies in top jobs to ward against any threat from within the army after he becomes a civilian leader.
Kiani is expected to continue Islamabad's campaign against Islamic militants and al-Qaeda elements in the country's tribal areas, according to analysts.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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