2001 military standoff with India led Musharraf to identify Kianis abilities

The choice of General Ashfaq Pervez Kiani, who is considered antithesis of General Pervez Musharraf with regard to the latters persona and lifestyle, for the next Chief of Army Staff in Pakistan has left many bemused.

Islamabad, Oct 4 : The choice of General Ashfaq Pervez Kiani, who is considered antithesis of General Pervez Musharraf with regard to the latter's persona and lifestyle, for the next Chief of Army Staff in Pakistan has left many bemused.

Known as 'quiet man' of the Pakistan army, General Kiani's rise is attributed to his 'can-do' image who gets things done. His tactful handling during the eight-long month military stand-off along the 1500-km long India-Pakistan border in 2001 just after the terror attack on the Indian Parliament led Musharraf to recognise Kiani's abilities as a commander.

"Tempers were running high and a single aggressive movement could have sparked conflict. During this time, Maj Gen Ashfaq Kiani was in charge of all troop movements. Insiders say it was his expert handling of the situation, and his constant contact with the Indian command that kept the eight-month stand-off from becoming an outright war," the BBC writes.

Soon, he was made the commander of the elite Rawalpindi based10 Corps, and Musharraf assigned him to investigate the spate of assassination bid. Kayani's successful investigation that led to a secret military tribunal convicting 11 men for planning and carrying out the assassination bid on the President made him Musharraf's 'own man'.

"But these (inter-agencies rivalries) disappeared when I appointed Kiani in charge of investigations," Musharraf wrote in his book "In the Line of Fire".

He was also awarded with the Hilal-i-Imtiaz award or the "Crescent of Excellence," Pakistan's second highest civilian award.

He was made chief of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in 2004, a post that many considered would disqualify him from further promotions, and was part of the intelligence 'tribunal' that probed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, leading to the latter's suspension.

However, General Kiani is said to remain silent during the entire episode.

As political turmoil gripped Pakistan, Musharraf depended on Kiani's crisis manager status, that he acquired, to salvage him. Kiani has been a key points man of Musharraf for his negotiations with Bhutto on a power-sharing agreement.

Hailing from northern Jhelum area of Pakistan's largest province, Punjab, which is famous for producing the best soldiers in the subcontinent, Kiani, son of a Non Commissioned Officer (NCO) of Pakistan Army, studied at the local cadet college in Jhelum, and was subsequently accepted at the Army's military academy in Kakul.

In August 1971, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant, and joined the famed Baloch regiment. Father of two children, Kiani is an avid golfer, and is respected in the army as a professional soldier.

Kiani's first brush with politics came in 1990 when former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto made him the Deputy Military Secretary, but he, then a Lieutenant Colonel rank officer, worked professionally, and in the short span of six months he served three Prime Ministers- Bhutto, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi and Nawaz Sharif.

ANI