Gen (retd) Kayani: A victim of vilification campaign

ISLAMABAD: Former Army Chief General (R) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has recently been the victim of vicious vilification campaign but there is no clue as to who was behind this and what was the real motive to target the ex-COAS.
All sorts of allegations were leveled against Kayani during the recent weeks and months. However, neither the government nor any other authority including the military said anything in defence of Kayani or about such allegations, which mostly got attention in the otherwise unregulated and irresponsible social media and on the internet blogs.
Sources said that following recent reports that General Kayani was barred by the FIA from proceeding abroad, a federal minister spoke to the ex-Army Chief and sympathised with him for being the victim of baseless smear campaign.
Official sources also confirm that no such incident has ever taken place. It was speculated in the second half of April this year that General Kayani was stopped by the FIA at the Benazir International Airport Islamabad from proceeding to Australia.
It was also alleged that General Kayani wanted to go to Australia in connection with some of his financial matters. It was also said that General Kayani has purchased a ranch in Australia and wants to settle there permanently.
However, The News inquiries found all this completely baseless and mere propaganda. An important federal minister when approached told The News that neither Kayani wanted to travel to Australia nor was he stopped either by the Interior Ministry or by the FIA.
It is also learnt that General Kayani had last travelled to Australia in 2009 during his stint as Army Chief. It has also been confirmed that General Kayani does not own any property in Australia or anywhere else outside Pakistan. The sources said that Kayani also does not have any bank account outside Pakistan.
According to sources, ever since his retirement as Army Chief, Kayani has traveled outside Pakistan only once. In March this year, it is said, he had gone to UK for a few days on a private visit. A retired senior army officer, who has been closely associated with Kayani, told this correspondent that the former Army Chief has even rarely left Islamabad after his retirement.
“Perhaps he has been out of Islamabad only once or twice,” the retired officer said, lamenting that Kayani has been maligned despite his good repute and role as Army Chief.
The ex-serviceman added that Kayani has also been dragged into the dealings of his brothers whereas everyone in the Army and even outside know that he had never sought any favour, directly or indirectly, even for his son, let alone for brothers.
The source reminded this correspondent of how General Kayani reacted to when the Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif had once mentioned to the Army Chief that his youngest brother Kamran Kayani’s company was doing unsatisfactory work in the Ring Road Project in Lahore.
The then leader of the opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had told reporters in a press conference outside the Parliament House during the PPP tenure that General Kayani was so nice that when he and the Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif told him that work of Kamran’s company was not up to the mark, he had asked them to assign this job to someone else.
Of late, General Kayani was also connected with Malik Riaz of Bahria Town and it was alleged that he had a partnership with the tycoon. However, no less than Malik Riaz himself contradicted this in a recent talk show hosted by Salim Safi. Malik Riaz said that he even did never meet Kayani.
As against the social media and Internet related targeting of General Kayani, what had surprised many was the statement of an ex-DG ISPR who had said that the decision to launch an operation against extremists holed up in North Waziristan Agency was taken three years ago, but Kayani delayed action.
“The army brass had decided in principle that preparations will be completed from 2010 to 2011 for an operation in North Waziristan which will kick off the same year,” the former DG ISPR, who was not promoted by Kayani, was quoted as saying recently.
The ex-military spokesman added that Kayani was reluctant to give the nod for the operation.Those who understand the working of the Army, however, do realise that the corps commanders discuss issues and give their opinions but there is no such thing as “principal decision” of military commanders. In Army the decisions are taken by the Commander / Army Chief.
It is also interesting to note that in their political statements the PML-Q as well as the PTI top leadership have also been holding General (R) Kayani responsible for the alleged rigging in 2013 elections. But like many such absurd allegations, they conveniently forgot Kayani during the proceedings of the Judicial Commission, which is expected to finalise its report anytime.