We’d like to thank all our readers for making this blog as successful as it is. Your readership and support has earned the Insider Brief exposure and recognition in multiple venues -
The News: Reuters
With Gen. Ashfaq Kayani’s ascendancy to the role of Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Reuters published an article on Nov. 28th [...]

[Read more →]

President Pervez Musharraf has been sworn in for another 5-year term as president of Pakistan — out of uniform. Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has taken command of Pakistan’s all-powerful army. Emergency rule is to end on December 16th. Elections will be held on January 8th. Anti-insurgency operations continue full swing in Swat.
In short: [...]

[Read more →]

One of the ceremonies held on November 28th, marking President Pervez Musharraf’s retirement from the Pakistan Army, was the retreat ceremony. Retreat ceremonies are typically held on military bases and involve either a bugle call or drumbeat to signal the lowering of the flag at sunset; in this case, it commemorated the [...]

[Read more →]

Just as we revealed days ago, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf will be stepping down as Chief of Army Staff on Wednesday, in a change over ceremony in which Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani will ascend to the top slot. Only hours away, the ceremony is set to take place at 10:00am Pakistan Standard Time (PST).
According [...]

[Read more →]

We’ve learnt that President Gen. Pervez Musharraf will be stepping down as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) in a changeover ceremony on Wednesday in which Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani will ascend to the army’s top slot (see our profile of Kayani here). On Thursday, Musharraf will be sworn in for his second term as [...]

[Read more →]

Apologies to all IB readers for my undue absence this week. A host of commitments, primarily work, have kept me away. I’ve also found that much of what’s been creating a buzz in the media hasn’t been that signficant in terms of impact (e.g. Imran Khan’s arrest). Most events, though interesting, will [...]

[Read more →]

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s gamble appears to be paying off. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry stands sidelined along with some of his recalcitrant colleagues, much of the fractured opposition is either detained or under arrest, and protests have been manageable. Though Benazir Bhutto appears to have entered the fray (now under house arrest), her actions [...]

[Read more →]

Pakistan is now officially in a state of emergency, under a proclamation issued by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. A Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) has been issued as well by Musharraf in his capacity as COAS — not President. This is similar to October 1999 when Musharraf launched his “counter-coup” [...]

[Read more →]

High level sources report that a major decision regarding President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and his government will be made on November 1st. It’s up in the air as to who’s making the decision and about what exactly, however, we have reason to believe that Musharraf will be stepping down from his post as Army [...]

[Read more →]

Knowledgable sources have indicated to us that tomorrow afternoon, October 2nd (Pakistan time), an announcement will be made revealing Lt. Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani’s (alt spelling: Ashfaq Kiyani) next role and potentially that of Lt. Gen. Tariq Majeed. This announcement is coming within days of the October 6th presidential elections, where Pres. Gen. Pervez Musharraf [...]

[Read more →]

In light of Newsweek’s recent profile of Lt. Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (alt spelling: Ashfaq Kiyani) , I updated my profile of Gen. Kayani with exclusive photos of the elusive former spymaster and Pakistan’s next potential Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

[Read more →]

WHAT’S NEXT FOR KAYANI?
As I reported would happen, Maj. Gen. Nadeem Taj was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and named DG ISI, replacing Lt. Gen. Ashfaq Kayani (alt spelling: Ashfaq Kiyani) as the head of Pakistan’s premier intelligence service.
Speculation in the media over Kayani’s future role is now hotter than ever, with [...]

[Read more →]