India stands vindicated.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference held from February 16 to 18, Pakistan&#39;s Army Chief, General Qamar Bajwa confirmed just what New Delhi has been pointing to all along&nbsp;that Pakistan trains, sponsors, arms and deploys terrorists against any country that qualifies as a - &quot;tyrant&#39;&#39; in its own rule-book. &nbsp;

The General began his speech with a disarming admission: that he was a military man and not a glib-tongued politician. But perhaps the blunt and direct army general could have done with a better speech-writer, for his own attempt to explain &#39;&#39;jihad&quot; - a mysterious concept to the most intrepid scholars of the Qu&#39;ran - had the audience gaping and viewers in India chortling.

General Bajwa tried to explain as far as Pakistan&#39;s government, its armed forces and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) are concerned, there are two kinds of terrorists, good and bad. He painted his own country as the victim of the &#39;bad&#39;variety: terrrorism emanating from Afghanistan on its western border. &nbsp;He didn&#39;t name India but through his speech, General Bajwa made it amply clear that Islamabad supports the &quot;good&#39;&#39; variety of terrorism if it is against any country it considers oppressive.

&quot;Let me say at the outset that &#39;jehadism&#39; is a misnomer,&quot; the General declared. &quot;Jihad is a highly evolved concept that underlines myriad struggles against tyranny of all types. Muslims are taught that self-control is the most elevated form of jihad.&quot;&nbsp;

The General even invoked the Holy Prophet in his attempt to explain one of the most intriguing aspects of the holy book of Islam: &nbsp;&quot;There is also a saying by the holy Prophet - peace be upon him - that the best jihad is the word of truth in the face of a tyrant ruler.&quot;

Warming up to his subject, General Bajwa moved on to armed terrorism and ended up - inadvertently or not - justified its use by the &#39;state&#39;.

&quot;On the other hand, qataal &nbsp;(conflict in Arabic), an aspect of armed jihad, comes at the lowest end of the spectrum of actions and beliefs that comprise the concept of jihad, that can only be sanctioned by a state authority and nobody else.&quot;&nbsp;

Through his speech, General Bajwa effectively put the stamp of official approval on the deaths of hundreds&nbsp;of innocent civilians and armymen in India. Pakistani terror groups Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed both target India. &nbsp;They were behind the attacks on India&rsquo;s parliament and the 26/11 carnage in Mumbai in 2001 and 2008 respectively and - for dozens of strikes on both India&rsquo;s armed forces and civilians for decades.

General Bajwa practically admitted that his army, the ISI and the government of Pakistan have supported, armed, trained and sneaked terrorists into India and &ndash; continue to do so. When any Pakistani talks of a country it considers &quot;tyrannical&rsquo;&rsquo;,&nbsp;guessing its identity is a no-brainer.

There were some candid moments in the speech too: the admission that the Afghan jehadi was Pakistan&rsquo;s own doing too. &nbsp;The General admits that jihad was fed to the minds in an exercise undertaken primarily by the West and &ndash; that Pakistan was an accomplice.

&ldquo;This phenomenon (terrorism) is not a recent creation or (something that) started after 9/11,&rsquo;&rsquo; the General mused. &ldquo;The Frankenstein was actually created by the free world with willing but myopic cooperation on our side, after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.&rdquo;

The Army Chief&rsquo;s regret at creating a monster in the laboratory of death may be genuine. But he was still bent on emphasizing that there is a difference &ndash; between terrorism and jihad. &nbsp;&ldquo;Large numbers of people are radicalized, armed and empowered politically and ideologically. They cannot be wished away just because we don&rsquo;t like them anymore.&rdquo;

He also prepared the ground by warning the world that it was not going to see the end of terrorism on Pakistani soil just yet.

&nbsp;&ldquo;Please note, we are harvesting what we sowed 40 years back. So, it will be a while before this scourge is eliminated from our territory. But first, let us stop calling it jihadism as it is nothing but terrorism.&rdquo;

The most startling admission came towards the end of General Bajwa&rsquo;s brief speech, when he described his country&rsquo;s &ldquo;National Action Plan&rdquo; to fight terrorism.

&nbsp;&ldquo;Most recently, 1854 eminent Pakistani religious scholars representing all schools of thought within Islam teamed up to issue a resounding &lsquo;fatwa&rsquo; against violence, extremism and terrorism in the name of religion,&rdquo; he disclosed.

But after outlining what the plan contains, he said the initiative is referred to in a special way. And what is that?

&ldquo;Called the &quot;key message of Pakistan&rsquo;&rsquo;, it (the plan) bans suicide bombing and jihad &nbsp;- other than the one sanctioned by the state,&rdquo; General Bajwa said.

There you have it. &nbsp;In the corollary, the Chief of Pakistan&rsquo;s army admits that his state, his army and his ISI do sanction terrorism - including sending young, drugged men wearing explosives to their deaths as fidayeen, or suicide bombers. &nbsp;

There can hardly be more damning evidence than General Bajwa&rsquo;s speech at the Munich Conference. Of the fact that when it comes to terrorism to suit its own goals and purposes, the &#39;state&#39;of Pakistan condones and &lsquo;sanctions&rsquo; killing &ndash; including and especially in India.

Pakistan Army chief General Bajwa said jihad is the "truth"

India stands vindicated. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference held from February 16 to 18, Pakistan's Army Chief, General Qamar Bajwa confirmed just what New Delhi has been pointing to all along that Pakistan trains, sponsors, arms and deploys terrorists against any country that qualifies as a - "tyrant'' in its own rule-book. The General began his speech with a disarming admission: that he was a military man and not a glib-tongued politician. But perhaps the blunt and direct army general could have done with a better speech-writer, for his own attempt to explain ''jihad" - a mysterious concept to the most intrepid scholars of the Qu'ran - had the audience gaping and viewers in India chortling. General Bajwa tried to explain as far as Pakistan's government, its armed forces and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) are concerned, there are two kinds of terrorists, good and bad. He painted his own country as the victim of the 'bad'variety: terrrorism emanating from Afghanistan on its western border. He didn't name India but through his speech, General Bajwa made it amply clear that Islamabad supports the "good'' variety of terrorism if it is against any country it considers oppressive. "Let me say at the outset that 'jehadism' is a misnomer," the General declared. "Jihad is a highly evolved concept that underlines myriad struggles against tyranny of all types. Muslims are taught that self-control is the most elevated form of jihad." The General even invoked the Holy Prophet in his attempt to explain one of the most intriguing aspects of the holy book of Islam: "There is also a saying by the holy Prophet - peace be upon him - that the best jihad is the word of truth in the face of a tyrant ruler." Warming up to his subject, General Bajwa moved on to armed terrorism and ended up - inadvertently or not - justified its use by the 'state'. "On the other hand, qataal (conflict in Arabic), an aspect of armed jihad, comes at the lowest end of the spectrum of actions and beliefs that comprise the concept of jihad, that can only be sanctioned by a state authority and nobody else." Through his speech, General Bajwa effectively put the stamp of official approval on the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians and armymen in India. Pakistani terror groups Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed both target India. They were behind the attacks on India’s parliament and the 26/11 carnage in Mumbai in 2001 and 2008 respectively and - for dozens of strikes on both India’s armed forces and civilians for decades. General Bajwa practically admitted that his army, the ISI and the government of Pakistan have supported, armed, trained and sneaked terrorists into India and – continue to do so. When any Pakistani talks of a country it considers "tyrannical’’, guessing its identity is a no-brainer. There were some candid moments in the speech too: the admission that the Afghan jehadi was Pakistan’s own doing too. The General admits that jihad was fed to the minds in an exercise undertaken primarily by the West and – that Pakistan was an accomplice. “This phenomenon (terrorism) is not a recent creation or (something that) started after 9/11,’’ the General mused. “The Frankenstein was actually created by the free world with willing but myopic cooperation on our side, after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.” The Army Chief’s regret at creating a monster in the laboratory of death may be genuine. But he was still bent on emphasizing that there is a difference – between terrorism and jihad. “Large numbers of people are radicalized, armed and empowered politically and ideologically. They cannot be wished away just because we don’t like them anymore.” He also prepared the ground by warning the world that it was not going to see the end of terrorism on Pakistani soil just yet. “Please note, we are harvesting what we sowed 40 years back. So, it will be a while before this scourge is eliminated from our territory. But first, let us stop calling it jihadism as it is nothing but terrorism.” The most startling admission came towards the end of General Bajwa’s brief speech, when he described his country’s “National Action Plan” to fight terrorism. “Most recently, 1854 eminent Pakistani religious scholars representing all schools of thought within Islam teamed up to issue a resounding ‘fatwa’ against violence, extremism and terrorism in the name of religion,” he disclosed. But after outlining what the plan contains, he said the initiative is referred to in a special way. And what is that? “Called the "key message of Pakistan’’, it (the plan) bans suicide bombing and jihad - other than the one sanctioned by the state,” General Bajwa said. There you have it. In the corollary, the Chief of Pakistan’s army admits that his state, his army and his ISI do sanction terrorism - including sending young, drugged men wearing explosives to their deaths as fidayeen, or suicide bombers. There can hardly be more damning evidence than General Bajwa’s speech at the Munich Conference. Of the fact that when it comes to terrorism to suit its own goals and purposes, the 'state'of Pakistan condones and ‘sanctions’ killing – including and especially in India.

There are two kinds of terrorists, good and bad, says Pakistan Army chief Bajwa at Munich conference

United Nations-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed has found a new supporter in Pakistan Chief of the Army Staff, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, who has hailed the Mumbai attack mastermind as &#39;active&#39; to resolve the Kashmir issue, as every other citizen of Pakistan.

This statement is being viewed as Bajwa comparing every Pakistani citizen with the chief of banned terror outfit - Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD).

Bajwa, speaking at an &#39;in-camera session&#39; of the Senate Committee of the Whole in Islamabad, deliberated on a wide range of topics from politics to counter-terrorism operations and foreign policy.

When asked about Hafiz Saeed&#39;s role in fighting for the country, especially the Kashmir issue, Bajwa said, &quot;Like every other Pakistani, Saeed can also take up the Kashmir cause.&quot;

Bajwa&#39;s statement has come close on the heels of former Pakistan president General Parvez Musharraf declaring support for the terror outfits - Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and JuD.

At the event, Bajwa further said if the Army&#39;s role was proved in the recent Faizabad sit-in, he would resign from his post.

About 2,000 activists of Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY) and its allied groups staged protests and sit-ins on highway and railway lines in several cities of

Pakistan for nearly three weeks in November. The protests paralysed the life in Islamabad by occupying the Faizabad interchange, linking the Pakistani capital with Rawalpindi.

Bajwa was responding to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Mushahidullah Khan&#39;s question. (ANI)

'Like every other Pakistani, Saeed can also take up the Kashmir cause,' General Qamar Bajwa said

United Nations-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed has found a new supporter in Pakistan Chief of the Army Staff, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, who has hailed the Mumbai attack mastermind as 'active' to resolve the Kashmir issue, as every other citizen of Pakistan. This statement is being viewed as Bajwa comparing every Pakistani citizen with the chief of banned terror outfit - Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD). Bajwa, speaking at an 'in-camera session' of the Senate Committee of the Whole in Islamabad, deliberated on a wide range of topics from politics to counter-terrorism operations and foreign policy. When asked about Hafiz Saeed's role in fighting for the country, especially the Kashmir issue, Bajwa said, "Like every other Pakistani, Saeed can also take up the Kashmir cause." Bajwa's statement has come close on the heels of former Pakistan president General Parvez Musharraf declaring support for the terror outfits - Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and JuD. At the event, Bajwa further said if the Army's role was proved in the recent Faizabad sit-in, he would resign from his post. About 2,000 activists of Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY) and its allied groups staged protests and sit-ins on highway and railway lines in several cities of Pakistan for nearly three weeks in November. The protests paralysed the life in Islamabad by occupying the Faizabad interchange, linking the Pakistani capital with Rawalpindi. Bajwa was responding to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Mushahidullah Khan's question. (ANI)

Hafiz Saeed finds new supporter in Pakistan Army chief

General Qamar Bajwa&#39;s &quot;pro- democracy credentials&quot; and his low-profile influenced Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to appoint him to the powerful post of&nbsp;army chief superseding four top generals, Pakistani media and experts commented today.

&quot;A careful review of General Bajwa&#39;s profile clearly reflects that his pro-democracy credentials&nbsp;earned him the post of Chief of Army Staff,&quot; leading Pakistani newspaper The News commented, a&nbsp;day after Prime Minister Sharif appointed Gen. Bajwa to succeed Gen. Raheel Sharif as the army&nbsp;chief.

The media commented that Prime Minister Sharif wanted to appoint an army chief who should&nbsp;be military expert as well as backing democracy in the Islamic nation.

The military has been in charge of the country for more than half of Pakistan&#39;s nearly 70-year&nbsp;history since independence from Britain.

&quot;All the four generals being considered for the post of COAS were passed out from military&nbsp;academy on the same day but undoubtedly General Bajwa has an experience more diversified&nbsp;than all others. General Bajwa&#39;s caliber, credentials, experience and holding the biggest core also&nbsp;helped him to be appointed the Chief of Army Staff,&quot; the report said.

Another leading daily, Dawn said, &quot;Gen. Bajwa&#39;s relatively more moderate view of the&nbsp;relationship with the civilian government, it is said, proved to be the decisive factor in Prime&nbsp;Minister Sharif&#39;s decision.&quot;

One of Gen. Bajwa&#39;s former commanding officers told the paper that the COAS-designate is a&nbsp;&quot;strong proponent of the army not intruding into civilian space.&quot;

Under the watch of the outgoing army chief Sharif, the civil-military balance of power had titled&nbsp;more in military&#39;s favour, the report said.

With his elevation as army chief, Gen. Bajwa has now superseded Lt Gen. Syed Wajid Hussain&nbsp;(chairman of Heavy Industries Taxila), Lt Gen. Najibullah Khan (DG Joint Staff Headquarters), Lt&nbsp;Gen. Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed (Corps Commander Multan) and Lt Gen. Javed Iqbal Ramday (Corps&nbsp;Commander Bahawalpur).

Dawn also said that Prime Minister Sharif named the new military command, appointing Gen. Bajwa and Gen. Zubair Mahmood Hayat as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and the Chairman of the&nbsp;Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), respectively, in the hope of stabilising the fragile civil-military balance.

While the office of CJCSC is technically the more senior position as he serves as the principal&nbsp;military adviser to the prime minister and the National Command Authority (NCA) the office of&nbsp;army chief is the most prized and arguably the most powerful position in the country, the paper&nbsp;said.

Bajwa, an infantry officer, has commanded the famed 10 Corps, the army&#39;s largest, which is&nbsp;responsible for guarding the area along the Line of Control (LoC) with India.

On a personal level, Gen. Bajwa is said to be witty, accessible, well-connected with the troops and&nbsp;not fond of the limelight.&nbsp;

Bajwa is the fourth officer from the infantry&#39;s Baloch Regiment to become the army chief. Before him, Gen. Yahya Khan, Gen. Aslam Beg and Gen. Kayani rose to that position.

Meanwhile, PML-N Senator, Lt General (Retired) Abdul Qayyum said there was no difference in&nbsp;the credentials of all the four generals who were considered for the top slot in army. However it&nbsp;was prime minister&#39;s discretion to appoint anyone among the four candidates.

&quot;Prime Minister definitely wanted an army chief who is supportive of democratic system in the&nbsp;country, who believes in the supremacy of Parliament and who could work for the betterment of&nbsp;the country.

&quot;These were the major points what I believe the prime minister would have taken into&nbsp;consideration before appointing the COAS. I believe General Qamar Bajwa possesses all these&nbsp;elements due to which he has been given the top slot in Pakistan Army,&quot; Gen. Qayyum told The&nbsp;News.

To a question about General Bajwa&#39;s positive role in the 2014 anti-government sit in, he said he&nbsp;was not sure about any such information however if he had played a positive role, it was his&nbsp;duty as they took oath to protect the Constitution of Pakistan.

On Prime Minister Sharif&#39;s decision to supersede four generals, Gen. Qayyum said it was prime&nbsp;minister&#39;s prerogative.

&quot;The premier wanted an all rounder for the top slot in Pakistan Army who could not only run&nbsp;the institution of Pak Army but his relation with the civil government was also important,&quot; he&nbsp;said.

Former Corp Commander Karachi Lieutenant General (Retired) Sajjad Ghani said there was no&nbsp;major difference in the credentials of the four candidates for the top slot.

However it was up to the prime minister&#39;s discretion who saw his suitability in terms of working&nbsp;relations with the civilian government. Therefore, he said this was not a surprise for those who&nbsp;were aware of the system of Pakistan Army.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister&#39;s office last night, in a press statement, confirmed the two key&nbsp;military appointments.

&quot;At the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, President Mamnoon Hussain approved&nbsp;promotions of Lt Gen. Zubair Mahmood Hayat and Lt Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa to the rank of&nbsp;Generals.

After promotion, General Zubair Mahmood Hayat has been appointed as Chairman Joint Chiefs of&nbsp;Staff Committee and General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been appointed as Chief of the Army Staff,&quot; a&nbsp;press release said.

Bajwa will take charge of the world&#39;s sixth-largest army by troop numbers in a formal handover&nbsp;on Tuesday, when General Raheel formally retires.

Later, the army chief designate called on the prime minister and discussed various issues with&nbsp;him.&nbsp;

There is an unwritten tradition in the Pakistan army that superseded officers retire, but there&nbsp;have been exceptions. However, the decision to supersede four generals -- particularly the&nbsp;battle-hardened Gen. Ishfaq and Gen. Javed Ramday -- is bound to set tongues wagging among the&nbsp;military&#39;s ranks.

The seniority list has almost never been strictly followed in appointing army chiefs. The list was&nbsp;followed most closely in 2007, when Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani -- the senior- most officer -- was&nbsp;appointed army chief after Gen. Pervez Musharraf doffed his uniform.

&quot;The succession may not immediately bring about a major change in policies, but it could still&nbsp;have important implications for ties with India and Afghanistan, and domestically for the civil-military equation and the ongoing fight against terrorism,&quot; Dawn commented.

The fight against terrorism, it is believed, would remain unaffected. Gen. Bajwa, his colleagues&nbsp;say, is a firm opponent of extremism and terrorism.

According to an insider, he may prove even more forceful in the fight against terrorism than his&nbsp;predecessor, who is credited with launching Operation Zarb-i-Azb, which helped lower the&nbsp;frequency of terrorist attacks.

In addition, the supersession of four generals could force a major reshuffle within the top brass&nbsp;if they decide to step down, the paper added.

(PTI)

General Qamar Bajwa superseded four generals, particularly the?battle-hardened generals Ishfaq and Javed Ramday, to rise to the position

General Qamar Bajwa's "pro- democracy credentials" and his low-profile influenced Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to appoint him to the powerful post of army chief superseding four top generals, Pakistani media and experts commented today. "A careful review of General Bajwa's profile clearly reflects that his pro-democracy credentials earned him the post of Chief of Army Staff," leading Pakistani newspaper The News commented, a day after Prime Minister Sharif appointed Gen. Bajwa to succeed Gen. Raheel Sharif as the army chief. The media commented that Prime Minister Sharif wanted to appoint an army chief who should be military expert as well as backing democracy in the Islamic nation. The military has been in charge of the country for more than half of Pakistan's nearly 70-year history since independence from Britain. "All the four generals being considered for the post of COAS were passed out from military academy on the same day but undoubtedly General Bajwa has an experience more diversified than all others. General Bajwa's caliber, credentials, experience and holding the biggest core also helped him to be appointed the Chief of Army Staff," the report said. Another leading daily, Dawn said, "Gen. Bajwa's relatively more moderate view of the relationship with the civilian government, it is said, proved to be the decisive factor in Prime Minister Sharif's decision." One of Gen. Bajwa's former commanding officers told the paper that the COAS-designate is a "strong proponent of the army not intruding into civilian space." Under the watch of the outgoing army chief Sharif, the civil-military balance of power had titled more in military's favour, the report said. With his elevation as army chief, Gen. Bajwa has now superseded Lt Gen. Syed Wajid Hussain (chairman of Heavy Industries Taxila), Lt Gen. Najibullah Khan (DG Joint Staff Headquarters), Lt Gen. Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed (Corps Commander Multan) and Lt Gen. Javed Iqbal Ramday (Corps Commander Bahawalpur). Dawn also said that Prime Minister Sharif named the new military command, appointing Gen. Bajwa and Gen. Zubair Mahmood Hayat as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), respectively, in the hope of stabilising the fragile civil-military balance. While the office of CJCSC is technically the more senior position as he serves as the principal military adviser to the prime minister and the National Command Authority (NCA) the office of army chief is the most prized and arguably the most powerful position in the country, the paper said. Bajwa, an infantry officer, has commanded the famed 10 Corps, the army's largest, which is responsible for guarding the area along the Line of Control (LoC) with India. On a personal level, Gen. Bajwa is said to be witty, accessible, well-connected with the troops and not fond of the limelight. Bajwa is the fourth officer from the infantry's Baloch Regiment to become the army chief. Before him, Gen. Yahya Khan, Gen. Aslam Beg and Gen. Kayani rose to that position. Meanwhile, PML-N Senator, Lt General (Retired) Abdul Qayyum said there was no difference in the credentials of all the four generals who were considered for the top slot in army. However it was prime minister's discretion to appoint anyone among the four candidates. "Prime Minister definitely wanted an army chief who is supportive of democratic system in the country, who believes in the supremacy of Parliament and who could work for the betterment of the country. "These were the major points what I believe the prime minister would have taken into consideration before appointing the COAS. I believe General Qamar Bajwa possesses all these elements due to which he has been given the top slot in Pakistan Army," Gen. Qayyum told The News. To a question about General Bajwa's positive role in the 2014 anti-government sit in, he said he was not sure about any such information however if he had played a positive role, it was his duty as they took oath to protect the Constitution of Pakistan. On Prime Minister Sharif's decision to supersede four generals, Gen. Qayyum said it was prime minister's prerogative. "The premier wanted an all rounder for the top slot in Pakistan Army who could not only run the institution of Pak Army but his relation with the civil government was also important," he said. Former Corp Commander Karachi Lieutenant General (Retired) Sajjad Ghani said there was no major difference in the credentials of the four candidates for the top slot. However it was up to the prime minister's discretion who saw his suitability in terms of working relations with the civilian government. Therefore, he said this was not a surprise for those who were aware of the system of Pakistan Army. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's office last night, in a press statement, confirmed the two key military appointments. "At the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, President Mamnoon Hussain approved promotions of Lt Gen. Zubair Mahmood Hayat and Lt Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa to the rank of Generals. After promotion, General Zubair Mahmood Hayat has been appointed as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been appointed as Chief of the Army Staff," a press release said. Bajwa will take charge of the world's sixth-largest army by troop numbers in a formal handover on Tuesday, when General Raheel formally retires. Later, the army chief designate called on the prime minister and discussed various issues with him. There is an unwritten tradition in the Pakistan army that superseded officers retire, but there have been exceptions. However, the decision to supersede four generals -- particularly the battle-hardened Gen. Ishfaq and Gen. Javed Ramday -- is bound to set tongues wagging among the military's ranks. The seniority list has almost never been strictly followed in appointing army chiefs. The list was followed most closely in 2007, when Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani -- the senior- most officer -- was appointed army chief after Gen. Pervez Musharraf doffed his uniform. "The succession may not immediately bring about a major change in policies, but it could still have important implications for ties with India and Afghanistan, and domestically for the civil-military equation and the ongoing fight against terrorism," Dawn commented. The fight against terrorism, it is believed, would remain unaffected. Gen. Bajwa, his colleagues say, is a firm opponent of extremism and terrorism. According to an insider, he may prove even more forceful in the fight against terrorism than his predecessor, who is credited with launching Operation Zarb-i-Azb, which helped lower the frequency of terrorist attacks. In addition, the supersession of four generals could force a major reshuffle within the top brass if they decide to step down, the paper added. (PTI)

Pakistan: 'Pro-democracy credentials' helped Bajwa get army chief post