Pakistan army general Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Friday said the Pakistan is capable of defeating any aggressive design or 'cold start doctrine,' in an apparent reference to Indian army's new military doctrine including scenarios such as a two-front war with China and Pakistan.
Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had expressed doubts about a claim by the regime of his former boss Pervez Musharraf that Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by the Pakistani Taliban, a United Nations investigator has said.
The Pakistan government has no intention of taking any action against Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the country's top law officer informed the Supreme Court on Friday against the backdrop of a standoff between the civil administration and the military.
The war of words between Pakistan and the United States on the Inter-Services Intelligence's alleged links with the Haqqani terror network escalated on Friday with Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani describing US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen's accusations as "not based on facts".
A Pakistani court has admitted a petition seeking to block any attempt by the government to sack army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Inter Services Intelligence chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha over the memo scandal. The petition filed by lawyer Maulvi Iqbal Haider was accepted by the Islamabad high court on Wednesday. Haider asked the court to restrain the president and prime minister from taking any action against the army and ISI chiefs.
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Pakistani Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani to discuss with him military-to-military ties between the two countries. "The call was cordial and professional. It is a routine part of the relationship and another opportunity to understand what is most important to each military as we confront common threats," said Colonel Dave Lapan, spokesman of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Following the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, criticism of Pakistan Army Chief inside the country has grown. His close ties with the Barack Obama administration has not gone down with the army. But will Pakistan's most powerful man be overthrown? B Raman analyses
At loggerheads with the powerful army, the Pakistan government has issued a show-cause notice to the defence secretary for submitting an affidavit on the memo scandal to the Supreme Court without seeking approval from the defence minister. Lieutenant General (retired) Khalid Naeem Lodhi, considered to be very close to army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, was issued the notice last week.
Pakistan army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's office turned down a request for a meeting by visiting US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence Peter Lavoy, reflecting the strains that have hit ties between the two countries since last year.
The Inter-Services Intelligence does not act independently and takes instructions from Pakistani army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, says a former top aide of United States President Barack Obama, asserting that the spy agency has links with the dreaded Haqqani network of Taliban.
Pakistan's hawkish Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who did little to change the force's India-centric stance, will leave the world's sixth-largest army grappling with a host of security challenges when he steps down on Friday.
A military coup in Pakistan has become inevitable as the country is fast descending into chaos because of the "failure" of the political leadership, some top commanders feel.
Pakistan Muslim League - Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has emerged as a mediator between Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani after differences between Pakistan's civilian government and the powerful military seemed to reach at point of no return. Hussain, who served as prime minister during Pervez Musharraf's reign, is considered to be close to the security establishment and is known for his links with the armyThe lead
Violations from the Pakistani side along the Line of Control have become a common recurrence, and according to sources in the Intelligence Bureau, some peace can be expected only after Pakistan Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani retires next month.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif plans to name Pakistan's new army chief weeks before Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's term ends in November to quell speculation about the issue, according to a media report on Monday.
The name of Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's successor will be announced a day before he retires on November 29, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said on Friday.
Ending weeks of speculation, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday appointed Lt Gen Raheel Sharif as Pakistan's new army chief and Lt Gen Rashid Mehmood as the chairman joint chiefs of staff committee.
Against the backdrop of Pakistan's opposition to American drone strikes, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday said the pilotless aircraft should be used only for gathering intelligence.
With Pakistan's powerful army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's term coming to an end in November, names of top generals who are likely to succeed him are being discussed in the political circles and in the corridors of power.
'With the extension issue settled clearly in his favour, Gen Bajwa would be free to fashion a more hardline policy against India. 'We could, therefore, expect a raising of the ante in Kashmir,' says Rana Banerji.
The Prime Minister's Office on Sunday termed as 'false' a media report that Manmohan Singh had initiated a back channel exercise for talks between an 'unofficial' Indian envoy and Pakistan' army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani ten months ago.
While the American mainstream media speculate about Pakistani Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani being deposed in a coup, the reports have very little domestic corroboration, says Amir Mir
Pervez Musharraf said that Pakistan tried to undermine the Afghan government led by ex-president Hamid Karzai for helping "India stab Pakistan in the back".
If General Asim Munir, Pakistan's new army chief, wants to help defuse the current polarised atmosphere and shepherd civilian politicians towards negotiations on an acceptable date for elections, he may need to distance himself from any perception of needless hostility to Imran Khan, explains Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W, India's external intelligence agency.
The expectations of both Pakistan and NATO have not been "fully fulfilled" at the alliance's summit in Chicago, Pakistan's powerful army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has said.
India must watch for signs after Peshawar that Pakistan is waking up to the dangers of Islamism, muses Ajai Shukla
Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Thursday met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani shortly before the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan called on the premier.
Pakistanis began voting on Saturday morning in landmark polls to choose new national and provincial assemblies, setting in motion the first democratic transition of power in the country's 66-year history.
In his latest book 'Playing to the Edge', Michael Hayden, the former CIA director said that Pasha had conceded that some of the powerful spy agency's retired members were engaged in training those involved in the heinous crime but refused to take action.
Will Gen Kayani's increasingly conservative soldiers fight the Waziri militants, who have long been lauded as a sword arm of Pakistan, asks Ajai Shukla.
Pakistan's powerful army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Friday dismissed speculation of a military takeover as "misleading", saying they are being used as a "bogey" to divert the focus from "real issues".
Kayani 'reaffirmed the commitment of the Pakistan Army to the Kashmir cause in line with the aspirations of the Pakistani nation', said a statement issued by the military. Kayani's comments came in the wake of Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari's remarks that India and Pakistan should not let their relations be held hostage to the Kashmir dispute.
'All Pakistan army chiefs follow a consistent line as far as India is concerned.'
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani met on Friday. This is their second meeting since the memo scandal that sparked off a tense stand-off between the civilian and military leadership. The informal meeting between Zardari and Kayani at the presidency took place after the ceremony to award Nishan-e-Imtiaz to Admiral Asif Sandila.
The Pakistan Army's top commanders have decided to throw their weight behind the Supreme Court in its standoff with the civilian government over the memo scandal and the revival of high-profile graft cases, according to a media report on Friday.
Pakistan's powerful Army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani told a top American diplomat that his establishment wanted the resumption of back channel talks with India, but President Asif Ali Zardari was against it, according to a secret United States cable leaked by WikiLeaks.
Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has given his troops "full liberty" to respond to any further cross-border attacks by NATO forces in Afghanistan in the wake of an air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, official sources said.
Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey has cancelled his trip to Islamabad, where he was to hold a private meeting with Pakistani counterpart General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, due to continued wave of anti-US protests.
Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, under pressure from his colleagues to "reduce" ties with the United States following the unilateral American raid that killed Osama bin Laden, is said to be "fighting to survive".
In a major embarrassment for Pakistan's powerful army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden was killed just yards from a military compound that he visited last month where he had famously claimed that his forces had broken the "terrorist backbone".