Pakistan’s President, General Pervez Musharraf, has consolidated his power base as he eased out three top generals known for their hardline Islamic views in a major shake-up in the army top brass.  The changes, which coincided with the attack against Afghanistan by the American and British forces, is seen as a part of General Musharraf’s plan to bring the own liberal loyalists who support the pro-west policy shift into key positions.

           The most significant change has come with the exit of Lt General Mahmood Ahmed, the chief of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), who resigned on October 8 because of differences over the reshuffling in the military high command.  Considered the second most powerful member of the military junta, General Mahmood was a key player in the coup two years ago that brought General Musharraf to power.  The then corps commander Rawalpindi, he was one of the two generals who ordered the troops to move in and arrest Nawaz Sharif, the ousted prime minister.  A highly ambitious General Mahmood, Pakistan’s chief spymaster, virtually ran Pakistan’s Afghan policy which, until recently, supported the Taliban regime.

            Despite his hardline views on other issues, General Mahmood went along with General Musharraf on withdrawing support from the Taliban regime.  The former ISI chief who was in America during the September 11 terrorist attack, led talks with senior US officials on Pakistan’s cooperation with the US anti-terrorism campaign. He also went to Afghanistan twice last month  to persuade the Taliban government to accede to international demands to surrender Osama bin Laden.

            The latest shake-up in the army high command has changed the entire composition of the junta which has ruled the country since seizing power in October 1999. The reassignment of  General Muhammed Aziz on Sunday  to an ineffectual and  largely ceremonious post of Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, has consolidated General Musharraf’s position who has now clearly emerged as the sole power centre. The bearded General Aziz was the other player in the 1999 military coup and was corps commander Lahore before being elevated to his new position which will effectively keep him out of the decision-making process.

            A hardline conservative, General Aziz apparently had significant influence in determining Pakistan’s policy on Kashmir.  According to highly placed sources there has been a sharp divergence of views particularly on Kashmir, Afghanistan and the signing of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) among the generals.  The hardline generals blocked General Musharraf’s more liberal and pragmatic policies, with General Aziz and other hardline generals preventing Pakistan from showing any flexibility in its policy of supporting Islamic militancy in Kashmir and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

            It was not surprising that some of the Islamic political parties have publicly aligned themselves with General Aziz and other hardliners whom they describe as  “pro-jihad” generals.  This triumvirate formed the nucleus of the ruling junta which also included General Muzaffar Usmani, deputy chief of army staff, yet another bearded general known for his Islamic fundamentalist views who has also been retired in the reshuffle.  Every decision taken by the cabinet and the security council had to be stamped by these powerful coterie of generals.  Despite his position as Chief of Army Staff, General Musharraf was hampered by the compulsion to carry with him the two other leaders of the coup.  Though the latest changes in the military hierarchy may have placed General Musharraf firmly in the driving seat and strengthened his liberal power base, his position appears quite tenuous as he faces strong opposition from the country’s powerful Islamic groups who are out on the streets violently protesting his policy of supporting the American assault on Afghanistan.  These groups have significant influence in the army ranks.

            So far, General Musharraf has been successful in countering the challenge from the pro-Taliban Islamic fundamentalists, while the army appears to be united behind him.  Some observers, however,  fear that his support base in the army may weaken if the anti-American agitation spreads and becomes violent.

            The greatest question mark for General Musharraf is how far he can trust his army.  His overtures of friendship to Washington have caused much scepticism within the army ranks.  The general, however, has appealed to the moderates in his own country, and to the west.  According to his close aides, the general is confident he can prevail over the conservative forces in his country, particularly with western help.