On July 22, Prime Minister Gilani announced a three-year extension in the tenure of the COAS General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani who was going to retire on November 29 this year. The decision is being justified by government on the basis of his effective counterterrorism operations and his incontestable achievements in war against terror in Swat, South Waziristan and FATA. He is a man that has achieved impossible deeds in a very short span of time. But the extension has raised many questions too. For instance, it is apparent that he has not fulfilled his responsibility as a leader of training a worthy heir. His extension of service means there was no other capable general that could have replaced him and continued to execute his policies with the same flair. Secondly, the extension has also created an impression that the state of Pakistan depends entirely on one man and perhaps, in this case, the individual matters more than the institution itself. Achievements in Swat, South Waziristan and other areas of FATA are no doubt matchless but the ongoing war on terror for which he has been given extension has no fixed calendar. What if this war is still not ended even at the end of his period of extension? Third and final objection to the decision pertains to the statement given by the PM, post-extension, in which he said that it would ensure protection of all three top slots of President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice till 2013. This is not fair to General Kayani who is actually the man that has kept Pakistan Army away from politics. PMs statement creates a false impression that Army is still engaged in politics. Extension in General Kayanis tenure may be a mistake by the PPP government but in the present scenario, with Pakistan facing by multi-faceted challenges, it is justified. We are not in a position to change the commander midway this war because policies change with the change of command. -KHALIDA YASMIN MARWAT, Lakki Marwat, July 27.