KAYANI EXERCISES INFLUENCE WITH NEW MILITARY APPOINTMENTS

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 003219

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2018
TAGS: PGOV, MOPS, PINR, PTER, PK
SUBJECT: KAYANI EXERCISES INFLUENCE WITH NEW MILITARY
APPOINTMENTS

REF: A. (A) PESHAWAR 473 (B) ISLAMABAD 2380 (NOTAL)
B. (C) ISLAMABAD 3060 (NOTAL)

Classified By: Gerald M. Feierstein, for reasons 1.4 (b),(d).

1. (S/NF) Summary: In mid-September, Chief of Army Staff
General Kayani told visiting Chief of the Joint Chiefs
Admiral Mullen that he would use the Pakistani Army's regular
promotion and transfer season to increase his control over
military operations, particularly those of Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI). Kayani identified Ahmed Shujaa Pasha and
Tariq Khan as his two most able Major Generals. On September
4, Khan was appointed as the new Inspector General of the
Frontier Corps. On September 29, seven Pakistani Major
Generals were promoted to Lieutenant General; within hours of
those promotions, the Army announced key senior leadership
transfers. Most notably, Pasha was promoted to Lieutenant
General and transferred from Director General of Military
Operations (DGMO) to Director General ISI Chief. Thus, while
not responding directly to the Mullen/Kappes request for ISI
reform, Kayani has replaced officers appointed by former
President Musharraf with men loyal to him. Khan is already
injecting much-needed vigor into the Frontier Corps. As
DGMO, Pasha certainly knows established ISI strategy and
tactics; if he initiates reforms, they will be directly
attributable to Kayani. Hopefully, Pasha may be more willing
to engage with his U.S. counterparts than former ISI Director
General Nadeem Taj and focus on counterterrorism initiatives
vice political machinations. End Summary.

2. (S/NF) On September 29, seven Pakistani Major Generals
(MG) were promoted to Lieutenant General (LtGen); within
hours, the Army announced key senior leader transfers (see
para 8 for specifics). While this was part of the Army's
regular promotion and transfer season, it enabled Chief of
Army Staff (COAS) General Kayani to replace officers selected
by former President and COAS Musharraf with men loyal to him.
Although the promotions and transfers technically were
blessed by PM Gilani, the personnel changes were all based on
Kayani's choices.

3. (C) The most notable change was the promotion of MG
Ahmed Shujaa Pasha and his transfer from Director General of
Military Operations (DGMO) to Director General of ISI. Pasha
will take over from LtGen Nadeem Taj, who was rotated out
after only one year. Taj had never seemed comfortable in his
role as intelligence chief and was reluctant to engage with
his U.S. counterparts; he has returned to infantry life in
command of 30 Corps in Gujranwala on the Indian border.

4. (C) As DGMO, MG Pasha played an integral role in
planning and overseeing the current anti-militant offensives
in Swat, Northwest Frontier Province, and in Bajaur Agency,
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Pasha also
worked to implement some of the peace negotiations with
tribal leaders/militants when that was GOP policy. As DGMO,
Pasha was well aware of ongoing ISI strategy and tactics
vis-a-vis the tribal areas, Afghanistan and India. Pasha also
served from 2001 to 2002 as a Contingent and Sector Commander
with the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone disarming and
reintegrating former rebel groups. Pasha graduated from the
National Defense College in Islamabad, Command and Staff
College in Quetta and the German Staff College in Hamburg,
Germany.

5. (S/NF) MG Javed Iqbal replaced Pasha as DGMO. A graduate
of the U.S. War College, Iqbal previously served as a liaison
officer in U.S. Central Command for two years. He served as
Commander of 111 Brigade, as Director of Military Operations
(Planning) at General Headquarters and attended executive
management (May 2005) and emergency response (May 2003)
seminars in the U.S. In 1989 Iqbal attended the Australian
Staff College for a year.

6. (C) Newly promoted LtGen Tahir Mehmood will take over as
Commander of the 10 Corps, garrisoned in Rawalpindi outside
the capital; historically, the 10 Corps has been tasked to
lead Pakistan's military coups. Mehmood previously served as
Commander of the SSG (Special Services Group). COAS Kayani

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selected the former 10 Corps Commander LtGen Mohsin Kamal to
serve as his personal military secretary.

7. (S) On September 4, Kayani chose MG Tariq Khan as
Inspector General of the Frontier Corps (IGFC) to replace MG
Alam Khattak. While Khattak was generally cooperative with
the U.S., he was not viewed as a particularly dynamic leader
of the FC. Khan is an ethnic Pashtun from Tank, Northwest
Frontier Province (NWFP); from 2005 to 2006, he served as the
Pakistan senior military representative to U.S. Central
Command. In his first days as IGFC, Khan announced he would
reorganize the FC into four command headquarters to increase
morale and unit autonomy, raise pay levels and introduce unit
rotations to ease combat fatigue (Ref A). Speaking at a
press conference September 26, Khan predicted that the GOP
would be able to regain control of Bajaur within a few
months; he characterized the fight in Bajaur as critical to
the success of Pakistan's anti-militancy campaign.

8. (U) Promotions and transfers:

--Promotions from MG to LtGen.: Tahir Mehsood, Shahid Iqbal,
Tanvir Tahir, Zahid Hussain, Ahmad Shuja Pasha, Mohammad
Mustafa Khan and Ayyaz Saleem Rana.

--Transfers: LtGen. Raza Muhammad, Corps Commander Bahwalpur
appointed to Director General Joint Staff Headquarters
LtGen. Muhammad Yousaf appointed 31 Corps Commander Bahwalpur
LtGen. Ahsan Azhar Hyat, Corps Commander Karachi appointed to
Inspector General of Training & Evaluation
LtGen. Shahid Iqbal appointed 5 Corps Commander Karachi
LtGen. Muhammad Zaki appointed Inspector General Arms at
General Headquarters
LtGen. Nadeem Taj appointed 30 Corps Commander Gujranwala
LtGen. Mohsin Kamal appointed Military Secretary at General
Headquarters
LtGen. Tahir Mehmood appointed 10 Corps Commander Rawalpindi
LtGen. Muhammad Zahid Hussain appointed Quartermaster General
at General Headquarters
LtGen. Javed Zia appointed Adjutant General at General
Headquarters
LtGen. Ahmed Shujaa Pasha appointed DG ISI
LtGen. Muhammad Mustafa appointed Chief of General Staff at
General Headquarters
LtGen. Tanvir Tahir appointed Inspector General Communication
and IT at General Headquarters
LtGen. Ayyaz Salim Rana appointed Chairman Heavy Industries
Taxila

9. (U) In the recent reshuffle ISI director of Directorate C
(domestic operations) MG Nusrat Naeem and ISI director of
Directorate S (external operations) MG Asif Akhtar received
what local English-language press deemed "insignificant"
postings. Neither MG received promotions. Akhtar has become
the new Director General National Guard while press reports
noted Naeem is expected to receive a new position this week.

10. (S/NF) Comment: Kayani told CJCS Mullen in September
that he would use the Army's normal promotion and rotation
schedule to increase his control over military operations,
particularly those of ISI. Kayani identified Pasha and Khan
as his best two major generals, and he has now placed them in
two critical posts. Khan already is impressing us with his
initial command decisions. While not responding directly to
the CJCS Mullen/DDCIA Kappes request for ISI reform, Kayani
has taken a critical first step by replacing the recalcitrant
Taj with Pasha. From his role as DGMO, Pasha is no stranger
to ISI strategy and operations; if he initiates reforms, they
will be directly attributable to Kayani. Likewise, if we do
not see reforms, it will be clear we need to knock on
Kayani's door. End comment.

FEIERSTEIN