Pakistani Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani is escorted by army commandos as he arrives to watch the military exercise in Bahawalpur.—AFP

The first such extension was given by former president Iskandar Mirza to Gen Ayub Khan.

Three army chiefs — Field Marshal Ayub Khan, Gen Ziaul Haq and Gen Pervez Musharraf — extended their own terms when they were holding the office of the country's president.

Ayub Khan held the post from Jan 16, 1951, to Oct 26, 1958. He also gave two extensions to Gen Musa, the then COAS. He served from Oct 27, 1958, to June 17, 1966.

Ziaul Haq was the third COAS who got extension by himself. He served from April 1976 to Aug 17, 1988.

Gen Pervez Musharraf also enjoyed self-extension for two terms, holding the office of the COAS from Oct 7, 1998, to Nov 28, 2007.

Gen Kayani is the 14th COAS of the country and will serve till Nov 2013.

Analysts said that his extension had ruined the hopes of about a dozen other generals of becoming army chief as now they would retire before him.

The three-star generals who will retire before Gen Kayani include Lt-Gen Khalid Shamim Wyne (March 8, 2011), Lt-Gen Javed Zia (Sept 21, 2011), Lt-Gen Shuja Zameer Dar (Sept 21, 2011), Lt-Gen Mohsin Kamal (Sept 21, 2011), Lt-Gen Jamil Haider (Sept 21, 2011), Lt-Gen Nadeen Taj (April 28, 2011), Lt-Gen Tahir Mehmood (Sept 29, 2011), Lt-Gen Tanvir Tahir (March 2011), Ayaz Saleem Rana (Sept 29, 2012), Lt-Gen Naeem Khan (Oct 13, 2012), Lt-Gen Khalid Nawaz Khan (Oct 4, 2013), Lt-Gen Sardar Mehmood Ali Khan (Oct 4, 2013), Lt-Gen Mohammad Alam Khatak (Oct 4, 2013) and Lt-Gen Shafqaat Ahmed (Oct 4, 2013).