General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, seen as the second most powerful man in Pakistan, has headed the military since November 2007.The army chief is largely credited with halting the pattern of military intervention in politics and allowing democracy to develop.But extremism and terrorism also flourished under his watch, said author and analyst Ahmed Rashid.“Well I think there is no doubt that the fact that the army has not intervened and has allowed,if you like, given the expression, allowed two civilian governments to follow one another is quite unique for Pakistan, and some of that credit would go to Kayani," he said.The general has wielded power since becoming the head of the country’s powerful intelligence services in 2004.And since then, terrorism has continued to plague the country," said Rashid.“And if we take that whole period from 2004 to 2013, what we see is a massive escalation and deterioration in the state of Pakistan,and the attacks by terrorist groups from extremist groups.There are those within the military who believe that Kayani too often succumbed to the civilian leadership’s apparent distaste for military operations against militants.Whoever takes his place will have to face that challenge, said retired Brigadier Shaukat Qadir.“For those who understand the nuances, diplomacy cannot work without the threat at least of the use force," he said.
