Daily Times

In what has been a rare moment in the history of Pakistan, the civil and military institutions were in complete harmony on Wednesday when new names were announced to fill rather big shoes in the top echelons of our ruling elites. The new chief of army staff (COAS), the man to take the baton from General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, is General Raheel Sharif, a man known for his upright, calm and mature demeanour. He is also known for his anti-Taliban views, which seem to fit exactly the kind of thinking this country needs at this point in time. The smooth transition of one army chief to the next is indeed a welcome rite of passage, a tension-free testament to the fact that Pakistan’s political and military processes are evolving and strengthening with each passing day. Lieutenant-General Rashad Mahmood has been named the new Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Big changes are taking place at the top and it is only befitting that one fully appreciate how arduous and long our journey has been to reach this point of mutual cooperation.

Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif will, no doubt, be questioned over these appointments seeing that there was one generals in waiting, whose seniority superceded that of Generals Sharif and Mahmood but, it seems, the PM waited until the last moment, carefully considering all the possibilities, before making his decision. He has exercised his constitutional prerogative to appoint the very best for these important posts, giving priority to merit, it seems, rather than seniority. The general passed up for promotion will retire as per tradition. Not only has the new chief of the army been announced, a new Chief Justice (CJ) has also been named to replace CJ Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani will take over when CJ Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry retires on December 11. Mr Jillani is the seniormost judge and also the acting Chief Election Commissioner. It will be interesting to look forward to a new permanent Chief Election Commissioner. The local government (LG) elections are coming up, after being doggedly pursued by CJ Chaudhry, and it is imperative that a permanent chief be appointed to handle the smooth running of the election commission’s affairs, and those of the upcoming LG elections. There is going to be quite the spotlight on Mr Jillani to see whether or not he follows the same wisdom of CJ Chaudhry in which intervention in the state’s affairs and issuing suo motu notices were common. It remains to be seen whether this kind of judicial activism prevalent during CJ Chaudhry’s time will endure. Only time will tell.

The defence ministry has gone to Khawaja Asif who is also the minister for water and power. This frees up the PM’s responsibilities as he was holding on to the defence portfolio as well. All in all, there are many changes taking place right at the top. General Kayani was one of those rare COASs who kept the military out of political matters. He was COAS at a time when the country was bearing the brunt of terror attacks, a burden that, unfortunately, has been shifted to General Sharif’s shoulders. The process of change that began in May this year, with a new government taking over, is continuing now with these transitions. Pakistan needs responsible, level-headed people in all its institutions to lead it out of the morass it finds itself in. It is hoped these are just the men to do the job. *