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| India-Pakistan |
| Kayani not going to take over: Mullen |
| 2009-03-14 |
| Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani is "committed to a civilian government" and does not want to take over like his predecessor General (r) Pervez Musharraf did in 1999, Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), said on Thursday. Things aren't quite chaotic enough. There are still those who believe Pakistain is capable of functioning with a civilian govt. In an interview with PBS news, Mullen suggested he had attempted to calm Kayani on several occasions when the army chief had reportedly expressed anger at the way Pakistan's political establishment was behaving. "I have had upwards of 10 interactions with Kayani. He wants to do the right thing for Pakistan. But he is in a very tough spot," he added. There is not a "high probability right now" the political crisis will provoke Pakistani military to intervene, Mullen said. Concerned: The JCS chairman said he was "extremely concerned" over the political crisis in Pakistan, adding US officials were closely monitoring the protests. The situation "continues to deteriorate very, very slowly under a political leadership ... challenged because of the totality of the crisis," he said. |
| Posted by:Fred |