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Haqqani: Pakistan's New General

Interviewee: Husain Haqqani, Director, Center for International Relations, Boston University
Interviewer: Jayshree Bajoria
December 4, 2007

In this week's podcast

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf stepped down as chief of army on November 28 and handed over his command to General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani. Kiyani now heads an army of 500,000 men, a state institution which has historically held immense power in the country. Musharraf, in his farewell speech, called it “the savior of Pakistan” and said: “Without this army, the entity of Pakistan cannot exist.” Pakistan’s army has been widely criticized for its frequent interference in politics. But Boston University’s Center for International Relations’ Director, Husain Haqqani says “General Kiyani’s instinct will probably be to try and get the army out of politics.” Kiyani has studied at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth in Kansas, is considered pro-western and has served as the chief of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

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