<p>''It was a matter for and a decision by the civilian government of Pakistan,'' State Department spokesman P J Crowley said at his daily news briefing.<br /><br />Stratfor, a US-based intelligence analyst organisation, said Kayani's extension is a good news for the Obama Administration.<br /><br />General Kayani has played a leading role in efforts to improve the political and security circumstances in Pakistan as well as bilateral relations with the US, especially in the context of Afghanistan, it said.<br /><br />"The shift in the Pakistani attitude toward taking an aggressive stance against jihadists within its borders is a very nascent development and requires continuity of leadership, especially when it is not clear that a new army chief would necessarily pursue the current policy with the same vigour," the organisation said.<br /><br />"This is one of those situations where individuals — at least in the short term — do matter in geopolitics."<br /><br />The US Embassy in Pakistan had earlier denied reports that it had any role to play in extension of Kayani's tenure.<br /><br />Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had met him during her trip to Islamabad early this week.<br /><br />"I've had a number of very long, substantive meetings with General Kayani and today was the latest. We have very frank and open exchanges. I understand the challenges that they are facing and have a lot of appreciation for how they're addressing them," Clinton told the Fox News in an interview after the meeting.<br /><br />Various issues including the Strategic Dialogue, security were discussed, reviewed and detailed during the trip, she said.<br /><br />"So we had a very broad discussion about Afghanistan, what the best way - ways to secure peace and stability in Afghanistan. We talked about the recent dialogue between India and Pakistan and got their views on that. It was a really broad, comprehensive discussion," Clinton added.</p>
<p>''It was a matter for and a decision by the civilian government of Pakistan,'' State Department spokesman P J Crowley said at his daily news briefing.<br /><br />Stratfor, a US-based intelligence analyst organisation, said Kayani's extension is a good news for the Obama Administration.<br /><br />General Kayani has played a leading role in efforts to improve the political and security circumstances in Pakistan as well as bilateral relations with the US, especially in the context of Afghanistan, it said.<br /><br />"The shift in the Pakistani attitude toward taking an aggressive stance against jihadists within its borders is a very nascent development and requires continuity of leadership, especially when it is not clear that a new army chief would necessarily pursue the current policy with the same vigour," the organisation said.<br /><br />"This is one of those situations where individuals — at least in the short term — do matter in geopolitics."<br /><br />The US Embassy in Pakistan had earlier denied reports that it had any role to play in extension of Kayani's tenure.<br /><br />Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had met him during her trip to Islamabad early this week.<br /><br />"I've had a number of very long, substantive meetings with General Kayani and today was the latest. We have very frank and open exchanges. I understand the challenges that they are facing and have a lot of appreciation for how they're addressing them," Clinton told the Fox News in an interview after the meeting.<br /><br />Various issues including the Strategic Dialogue, security were discussed, reviewed and detailed during the trip, she said.<br /><br />"So we had a very broad discussion about Afghanistan, what the best way - ways to secure peace and stability in Afghanistan. We talked about the recent dialogue between India and Pakistan and got their views on that. It was a really broad, comprehensive discussion," Clinton added.</p>