President Musharraf of Pakistan reshuffled the army high command yesterday, placing loyalists in key positions before his planned resignation as chief of the army.

The move is designed to guarantee him continued control of the Armed Forces as he prepares to become a civilian leader, eight years after seizing power in a bloodless coup.

The most significant change in the reshuffle is the appointment of Lieutenant-General Nadeem Taj, one of the President’s closest aides, as head of the powerful Inter Services Intelligence. Control of the ISI is crucial to maintaining a firm grip on power as the agency gathers intelligence, determines foreign policy and helps to promote the military’s agenda.

General Taj is considered a staunch loyalist because he is a distant relation of General Musharraf and has served previously as his military secretary and head of military intelligence. He replaces Lieutenant-General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who is tipped as the most likely successor to General Musharraf as army chief.

Bhutto was killed by bomb blast

The team from the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command have backed the claim that Benazir Bhutto was not shot

BACKGROUND

• Pakistan in turmoil as ‘martial law’ imposed

• Bhutto escapes as bombers kill 126

• Timeline: Pakistan's period of turmoil

• The man out to oust a President

• Internal crisis gives Pakistan reason for hope

Related Links

• Bin Laden declares war on Musharraf

• Musharraf agrees to relinquish military role

• Musharraf to quit army post

In his autobiography, In the Line of Fire, General Musharraf describes General Kayani as one of his most competent officers. As ISI chief, the general has worked closely with the American and British intelligence agencies in hunting al-Qaeda militants sheltering in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

“It’s a lot easier to deal with him,” a Western military official said. “He’s more approachable than other officers, and he tends to say things that give people confidence.”

General Kayani had maintained a low profile in domestic politics until last month, when he was involved in negotiations with Benazir Bhutto, the exiled former Prime Minister, on a power-sharing deal with General Musharraf.

Opposition parties plan to boycott the presidential election and have threatened to resign from the parliament and state legislative assemblies that form the electoral college. Hundreds of activists from rightwing Islamic parties demonstrated outside the Supreme Court yesterday, demanding General Musharraf’s disqualification from the election. But analysts say that he is likely to be re-elected unopposed, unless he is disqualified by the Supreme Court, which is still hearing petitions for barring his candidacy.

Five other officers were promoted to key positions yesterday. Lieutenant- General Tariq Majid, who was replaced as the corps commander of Rawalpindi, is regarded as another possible candidate for the top post.

General Musharraf said this week that he would hang up his uniform if he was re-elected as President by the national and provincial legislatures on October 6.

His popularity has plummeted since he tried to dismiss the Chief Justice in March and he faces several legal challenges to his plans at the same time as an upsurge in attacks by Taleban and al-Qaeda militants.

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