Pak rules out extending Gen Kayani's tenure

Pakistan's Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar has said that the Pakistan People's Party-led government was not giving any extension to Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, as he has not asked for the extension of his tenure.

General Kayani, 55, is the 14th chief of the Pakistan Army. He was promoted as a full General in October 2007, and made the Vice Chief of Army Staff. 

He took over as the new Army Chief after Pervez Musharraf's retirement on November 28,2007. 

Mukhtar also said that the government would not write a letter to the Swiss authorities for the reopening of cases against its own president.

He said there was no confrontation between the government and the judiciary, adding that the government was not facing any serious problem from the judiciary.

He said the president could only be removed through impeachment.  Answering a question about the NRO, the minister said he did not have enough knowledge regarding any legal complications. 

Mukhtar also stressed the need for initiating the Pak-India composite dialogue to resolve the lingering issues. 

Image: Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani