ISLAMABAD, October 7 (IslamOnline.net) - Analysts and observers saw the latest Pakistani army reshuffle in light of President Pervez Musharraf’s desire to tighten his grip on the army, a move that explains promoting a number of army officers to supersede their commanders because of their loyalty to the General President.

Musharraf promoted last week two lieutenant generals to four-star rank, superseding a number of their seniors, who retired Thursday, October 7.

Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt. Gen. Ehsanul Haq was named the new Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC), while the Karachi Corps Commander, Ahsan Saleem Hayat, was named the new Vice Chief of Army Staff.

They will succeed General Muhammad Aziz and General Muhammad Yousuf.

“There is no doubt about the professional capabilities of those promoted, but the fact remains that personal loyalty to Musharraf is the one that has earned them new posts,” Kamran Khan, one of the eminent military affairs commentators said.

“General Mushrraf obviously has a personal agenda for the army which can only be fulfilled by his close circle members” Kamran said.

Hayat and Haq were respectively the fourth and eighth senior-most lieutenant generals and the promotions were a signal to those in between to put in their papers.

This message was reinforced the next day seven major generals were promoted and five of them were given command of key corps.

Hayat is a family friend of Musharraf, and is considered amongst the very few fellow generals who are privately consulted by the president on key issues.

This could have been the main reason for targeting General Hayat himself in an assassination attempt in Karachi in June.

He is the only general who survived such an attempt. General Musharraf escaped two such attempts last year.

General Ehsan, now the ceremonial chief of all the three armed forces of Pakistan in his capacity as head of JCSC, is also considered a member of Musharraf’s close circle of loyalists.

He earned Musharraf’s trust as he was closely in touch with the president on a daily basis for spearheading the so-called war on terrorism in the country.

Analysts believe the promotions would tighten Musharraf’s grip on the army, which the president reportedly seek to retain its control despite earlier promise to abandon the title.

“The new promotions are meant to give general Musharraf a stronger control over the military itself,” Lt Gen Retired Talat Masood, a defense analyst said.

“It is a more psychological advantage than anything else” he added.

Musharraf, who seized power in 1999, had promised to give up his military post by December 31, 2004, under a deal with the six-party Islamic alliance of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).