Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (Urdu: ; born 20 April 1952), is a retired four-star general of the Pakistan Army who served as the eighth chief of army staff, being appointed on 29 November 2007 after his predecessor Pervez Musharraf retired from his military service and remained in the office until 29 November 2013.
Initially appointed as Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) under then-President Pervez Musharraf on 8 October 2007, he formally took over the command of the army when President Pervez Musharraf retired from his military service on 29 November 2007. In addition, General Kayani served as the Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and as director of the Directorate-General of Military Operations (DGMO), overseeing major war efforts in the war on terror. On 24 July 2010, Kayani's tenure was extended for three more years by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani to continue the war efforts against the insurgent outfits.Khan, Iftikhar A., "Kayani to stay on as COAS till 2013: The night of the quiet general", Dawn, 23 July 2010.Jan, Reza, "Continuity in a Time of Flux: Pakistan Army Chief's Term Extended" , AEI Critical Threats, 9 August 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
Forbes named him the world's 34th most powerful person in 2011 and the world's 28th most powerful person in 2012.
Early life and education Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was born at Manghot, Punjab, on 20 April 1952, in a family belonging to the Kayani Ghakar tribe of the Punjab's Pothohar Plateau. The town of Manghot is situated on the Pothohar Plateau in northern Punjab bounded on the east by the Jhelum River, on the west by the Indus River. Ashfaq's father was a Junior commissioned officer (JCO) in the Pakistan Army as Subedar major.
His humble background as the son of a JCO has endeared him to the junior ranks of the army. After attending a local high school, Ashfaq successfully enrolled in the Military College Jhelum, Sarai Alamgir and made a transfer to Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1971 in his class of 45th PMA Long Course.
Military career
1971 war experience Kayani was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in the 5th Battalion of the famed Baloch Regiment on 29 August 1971. He actively participated and joined the military in the time of 1971 war with Bangladesh.
Academia and professorship After the war, Ashfaq continued to resume his studies and became more involved with his studies after joining the Command and Staff College in Quetta. After his graduation, Kayani departed to the United States on deputation and educated at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth and the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning. After graduating from the military institutions in the United States, Ashfaq returned to Pakistan and attained his Master of Science in War studies from the National Defence University.
During his long military career, Ashfaq has been on the faculty of School of Infantry and Tactics, also in Quetta. Ashfaq briefly taught war courses at the Command and Staff College in Quetta and later moved on to accepting the professorship of strategic studies and joined the teaching faculty at the National Defence University in Islamabad.
Staff and command appointments As a Lt Col, Gen Kayani commanded 30 Baloch Regiment. As a Brigadier, he commanded an Infantry Brigade. As a Brigadier, he also served as Benazir Bhutto's Military Secretary. Upon his promotion to two-star rank, Major-General Kayani served as the general officer commanding of the 12th Infantry Division stationed in Murree, deployed all over the LoC region and which comes under the X Corps. In 2000, Kayani was moved and appointed as the director of the Directorate–General of Military Operations (DGMO). In 2001, it was during his tenure as DGMO that the intense military standoff between Pakistan and India took place. Reportedly, Kayani only slept a few hours a night during that period as he diligently oversaw the unified armed forces mobilisation and preparedness on the border.
In September 2003, Kayani's promotion to three-star assignment was approved by the President Musharraf and subsequently elevating him to three-star rank, Lieutenant-General. The same year, he was appointed as the field operational commander of the X Corps in Rawalpindi. The promotion indicated Musharraf's significant trust in Kayani, since chief of army staff cannot build a military coup without the help of the X Corps commander. Kayani led the X Corps until October 2004, when he was transferred to the ISI as its director-general.
During Kayani's tenure at the X Corps, he led the successful investigation of the two back-to-back suicide attacks against Musharraf in December 2003. It is believed that Kayani won the trust of Musharraf after the investigation, and a prelude to Kayani's appointment as the sensitive position of ISI chief.Ron Moreau and Zahid Hussain. "The Next Musharraf" Newsweek, 8 October 2007 He was awarded Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the civilian medal, for his achievement.
Intelligence career
Directorship of Inter-Services Intelligence In October 2004, Lieutenant-General Ashfaq Kayani was appointed as the director general of Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), in place of General Ehsan-ul-Haq, who was promoted as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. General Kayani directed the ISI operations and her operatives during a bleak period, with widely spread insurgencies in North-West Pakistan and Balochistan, disclosing of the nuclear proliferation case, and waves of suicide attacks throughout Pakistan emanating from the northwestern tribal belt. In his final days at the ISI, he also led the talks with Benazir Bhutto for a possible power sharing deal with Musharraf. In October 2007, after three years, he was replaced at the ISI by Lt Gen Nadeem Taj.Ayaz Amir. "Is change in the air?" Dawn, 1 December 2006
Kayani was also present at the March 2007 meeting that took place between Musharraf and Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, when the former military ruler informed the top judge that he was suspended. Accounts of that meeting narrated that Kayani was the only one among Musharraf's aides who did not speak a word.
Chief of Army Staff In October 2007, Kayani's promotion papers for the appointment to the four-star rank was approved by the President Musharraf, and appointed him as the Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS). At the time of the promotion, Kayani ultimately superseded the senior-most army general, Lt-Gen. Khalid Kidwai, who was on an extension for one year. On 28 November 2007, Kayani succeeded Musharraf as chief of army staff after Musharraf's retirement.
General Kayani is noted as the second four-star army general who held the directorship of the ISI but later then went on to become the Chief of Army Staff. The first appointment of ISI director being appointed to four-star appointment was in 1999 when General Ziauddin Butt was the first army general who was appointed as army chief after his brief tenure as ISI director.
It was during General Kayani's tenure that Pakistan turned the tide in its war against terror. Gen Kayani is also credited with developing response to Indian cold start doctrine, which the Army validated by conducting Azm e Nau exercises.
War against terror General Kayani has been credited with having played a major role in turning the tide in favour of Pakistan in its armed conflict against Islamist militant groups active in North-West Pakistan. Before Kayani's tenure, under the command and administration of President General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan had lost nearly 30% of its North-West Frontier Province and 100% of the FATA in the hands of Taliban and its allies. Under the Peverz Musharaf, the situation in FATA further complicated with the emergence of Tehreek-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Local Pakistani jihadi fighters that have previously fought Soviets, with support from Central Asian militant groups, Arab fighters of al-Qaeda, in 2007 formed TTP. The TTP, beside FATA, managed to capture four settle districts of North-Western Frontier Province (modern day Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa). The districts such as Buner, Dir, Shangla and Swat fell out of writ of Government of Pakistan by 2007 as militants flashed into mainland of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa further expanding their influence beyond peripheries of FATA.
Moreover, Musharraf decision to undertake Lal-Masjid Operation increased number of suicide attacks from 10 in 2006 to 61 in 2007. The deteriorated law and order situation saw assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007 which was also claimed by the TTP.
Pakistan with the exit of Pervez Musharraf got a fresh civil-military setup under the President Asif Zardari-led government of PPP in 2008. Pakistan Army also witnessed a change of guard. Its new COAS Ashfaq Pervez Kayani decided to take on TTP and its Islamist allies.
In to order contain the militants General Kayani launched series of military campaigns to recapture areas fallen in the hands of militants from 2007 to 2013 beginning with Operation Sherdil, beside successfully taking ongoing campaigns of Armed Forces launched under the command of General Musharaf. The campaign that was launched by Kayani ended with success of Operation Zarb-e-Azb in late 2016. Pakistan Army under the Kayani Doctrine was able to capture six tribal agencies and four settled districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa including Swat and South Waziristan, which were two strongholds of TTP. Thus, due to the Kayani's aggressive war doctrines Pakistan re-established its writ almost whole of the North-West and FATA exempting North-Waziristan and pockets of Khyber that were cleared from the militants by the Kayani's successors.
+Military campaigns by Pakistan Armed Forces under General Kayani#CampaignDatelocationResultsOperation Rah-e-Haq25 October – 8 December 2007Swat Valley and ShanglaPakistani victory
Led to the short-lived 2009 ceasefire Sharia implemented in Swat Ceasefire ended in the decisive Second Battle of Swat.Operation ZalzalaJanuary–May 2008Spinkai, South WaziristanPakistani victory
Following the operation, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) offered a truce and peace negotiations resulting in a suspension of violence. In spite of the victory in the operation, on 21 May 2008 Pakistan signed a peace agreement with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Short-lived peace in South Waziristan.Operation Sirat-e-Mustaqeem28 June – 9 July 2008BaraPakistani victory
Pakistan Army gained control of strategic town of Bara on the outskirts of Peshawar. The Peshawar was secured from the threat of militant takeover. Destruction of LeI command and training centers.Operation Sherdil7 August 2008 – 28 February 2009Bajaur AgencyDecisive Pakistani victory
Bajaur fell back under Government control Militant fled across border into Kunar Afghanistan Enduring peace in BajaurOperation Black Thunderstorm26 April – 14 June 2009 Swat Buner Lower Dir ShanglaDecisive Pakistani victory
Districts returned to Pakistani control High ranking TTP leadership taken as POW TTP's control confined to four agencies of FATA, namely, North Waziristan, Kurram, Khyber and Orakzai. Mainland Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa secured. Enduring peace across Malakand division.Operation Rah-e-Rast16 May 2009 – 15 July 2009SwatDecisive Pakistani victory
Sub-Operation of Black Thunderstorm specifically targeted to flush out militants from Swat Swat returned to government control Multiple Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan commanders captured or killed Ensured long term peace in SwatOperation Rah-e-Nijat19 June 2009 – 12 December 2009South Waziristan AgencyDecisive Pakistani victory
The military occupied the town of Kaniguram, a stronghold of former Russians fighters and Uzbeks led by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.