Pakistan: Military Intelligence, Politics and the Jihadist Struggle

Pakistani army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani soon will appoint a new head of the Military Intelligence (MI) directorate, Pakistani daily The News reported Feb. 26. The appointment represents a major step in Kayani's bid to consolidate his hold over the army and intelligence, as the current MI chief is a close relative of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Since Musharraf already has been weakened significantly, the real challenge for Kayani will be cleansing the country’s intelligence system — a hard task indeed.