It is quite heartening to note that the government has finally appointed General Janjua as national security advisor. Although this development is widely seen as army's increasing control over security policy and negotiations with India, this had been warranted by the fact that an elderly but highly competent Sartaj Aziz has been finding it difficult to focus on both National Security and Foreign Affairs simultaneously in an effective and meaningful manner.
"So it has been decided that General Janjua will be appointed the national security adviser and Sartaj Aziz can give his full attention to the foreign office," a Reuters news item had quoted "sources" as telling it last week. No doubt, the development has shown that both military and civilian leaderships are deciding such key matters together.
According to media reports, General Janjua was president of the National Defence University, the military's higher education institute and premier think-tank on national security matters. He also reportedlyworked on 'Azm-e-Nau,' a military preparedness exercise that had a particular focus on India. It is highly expected that General Janjua's appointment to this highly important post will help Pakistan articulate a better response to growing belligerence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.