Kayani, Pasha continue Pak’s traditional anti-India agenda: NYT

NEW YORK - The report regarding Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani extending the tenure of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General (DG) Lt.Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha by a year clearly suggests that nothing much has changed in the country and two still rule the roost.

While experts believe that Kayani’s move may also pave the way for his own extension in service, the ‘weak’ civilian set-up in Pakistan has no other choice than to just go along the decisions taken by the two all mighty persons.

According to Arif Nizami, a columnist for The News, nothing much has changed in Pakistan’s attitude towards India , as the two big shots continue to follow the “schizophrenic” policies of former President Pervez Musharraf.

“They keep the Afghan Taliban in their pocket as an anti-India instrument and still ask for American military equipment,” The New York Times quoted Nizami, as saying.

The two generals have not moved Pakistan from its traditional strategic priorities, retaining India as the archenemy and keeping the Afghan Taliban as proxies against Indian interests in Afghanistan, the newspaper added further.

It said that both Kayani and Pasha have been in control for the past two years and it is believed that they would continue to call the shots for the time being.

“The two generals have driven Pakistan’s strategic decisions in the past two years. The likelihood that they would retain their posts represented continuity, at least, in one of Washington’s most complicated, mistrustful and high-stakes relationships with an ally,” the newspaper said. (ANI)