Pakistan’s military chief General Raheel Sharif , who waged a bruising campaign against Islamic militants, is expected to stand down this week, leaving a vacancy for arguably the most powerful job in the country. Whoever steps into General Sharif’s shoes will play an outsize role in national life.
“The Army is the only institution in Pakistan that is organised,” analyst Hassan Askari said. “So the Army has an advantage and also plays a role in politics, either openly or pulling strings from behind the scenes.”
Gen. Sharif was the figurehead behind a widely-lauded crackdown on militancy that is credited with pushing Islamist extremists to the margins.
Many in Pakistan were so grateful — the hashtag #ThankYouRaheelSharif went viral — that some even called for him to launch a military coup. Critics say rights are being rolled back in the name of defeating terror, pointing to the creation of military courts and the resumption of hangings after a six-year moratorium.
But there is no sign of a course correction from military headquarters in Rawalpindi city, and the announcement on Monday that Gen. Sharif had begun a farewell tour scotched speculation that he would extend his three-year tenure, set to end on November 29, as previous military chiefs have done.
Social media tributes
The general’s decision won him praise for respecting democracy, even as disappointed Pakistanis swarmed social media to pay tribute. His as-yet un-named successor will face a range of challenges, including the conflict in Afghanistan, growing links between home-grown militants and Islamic State jihadists, and blowback from a Donald Trump presidency in the United States.
