Former army chief General (retd) Abdul Waheed Kakar has died in Rawalpindi, prompting condolences from the military and President Asif Ali Zardari. Both expressed grief on Monday.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, along with all ranks of the army, were deeply saddened by the death. The military praised the distinction of Kakar’s career, his leadership and his contributions to the army, and it offered condolences to his family.
The ISPR also prayed for his soul, asking Allah Almighty to grant him the highest place in Jannah and to give his relatives strength and patience.
Zardari mourns former army chief Kakar
President Zardari also voiced grief, according to a statement released by the President’s Media Wing on Monday. He extended sympathies to the bereaved family, sought forgiveness for the late general and prayed that Allah would give him a place in His mercy, while asking that the family be granted patience and strength.
The Kakar formula and the 1993 political crisis
Kakar also played a key role in resolving a political deadlock in 1993. That year, then-President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismissed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government on April 18 under Article 58(2)(b) of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court restored Nawaz’s government, but tensions between the prime minister and the president persisted. As army chief, Kakar brokered an agreement among Ishaq Khan, Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto.
Known as the Kakar formula, the deal called for:
- the prime minister’s resignation
- dissolution of the assemblies
- fresh elections
- appointment of a neutral caretaker prime minister
- the president’s resignation
The agreement paved the way for fresh elections on October 6, 1993, after Ishaq Khan and Sharif stepped down. The PPP won 89 National Assembly seats and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) took 73, with Benazir returning as prime minister for a second term.
Her government was dismissed by President Farooq Leghari in November 1996, leading to a general election in 1997.
