On Monday, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani briefed foreign correspondents in Rawalpindi and was unusually candid.  
In the briefing, Kayani articulated his Afghanistan doctrine.  Pakistan, he said, seeks a friendly government, stability, and ”strategic depth” in Afghanistan.  He also added that Pakistan does not seek a Talibanized Afghanistan and offered to train the Afghan [...]

My latest external publication is an article on ForeignPolicy.com that discusses the plight of President Asif Ali Zardari. An excerpt is at the end of this post.
I have been blogging less frequently in the past two months, but you can catch me regularly on the John Batchelor Show, Saturdays at 9:30PM EST (770AM-NY, WABCradio.com, [...]

The kidnapping of a young American soldier by the Jalaluddin/Sirajuddin Haqqani network puts Pakistan’s military-intelligence establishment in a difficult position, especially if the soldier is being held in North Waziristan.  Rawalpindi could face the choice of having to permit a U.S. ground incursion into Pakistan’s tribal areas or conducting a raid against the Haqqani network [...]

Barack Hussein Obama becomes the 44th president of the United States today, marking the end of the Bush administration and the beginning of a new era in American politics.  Among those hopeful for change appears to be Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Kayani.    
For the second time this month, Gen. Kayani has [...]

On Monday, Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Kayani visited Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield. It was his second publicized visit to the line of control since assuming leadership of Pakistan’s army.

KAYANI: A “NATIONAL CONSENSUS” ON KASHMIR
Both visits occurred after controversial statements from President Asif Ali Zardari regarding the Kashmir conflict.  On both occasions, [...]

GEO News is currently covering three independence celebrations in Pakistan:the Army’s in Kakul, and the prime minister and president’s in Islamabad (held separately).
Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Kayani gave his first truly public address.  He said:
“I would like to reiterate that Pakistan desires to co-exist in peace with its neighbors and beyond.  A [...]

In an address to army officers at the General Headquarters (GHQ), Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ashfaq Kayani said, “Every nation has the right to secure its national interests.”
He also emphasized on the importance of national consensus to adequately address the nation’s security threats, describing it as being of the “utmost importance.” He [...]

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ashfaq Kayani paid a visit to the Line of Control in Kashmir today. An Inter-Services Public Relations press release states that Kayani “highlighted the national consensus that exists on Kashmir issue” and “reaffirmed [the] commitment of Pakistan Army to the Kashmir cause, in line with [the] aspirations of Pakistani [...]

Let’s Continue Our Conversation…in London
Shahbaz Sharif, president of the Muslim League-Nawaz, tells BBC Urdu that “If Musharraf becomes neutral and promises to hold the polls in a free and fair manner, talks can be held with him.” This is a major break with precedent. Previously the Sharif brothers have publicly ruled out any compromise [...]