as lieutenant-colonel, kayani commanded an infantry battalion and an infantry brigade, as brigadier. later, he served in the government of former prime minister benazir bhutto as her deputy military secretary during her first stint as prime minister. upon his promotion to two-star rank, major-general kayani served as the general officer commanding of the 12th infantry division stationed in murree, deployed all over the loc region and which comes under the x corps. in 2000, kayani was moved and appointed as the director of the directorate–general of military operations (dgmo). in 2001, it was during his tenure as dgmo that the intense military standoff between pakistan and india took place. reportedly, kayani only slept a few hours a night during that period as he diligently oversaw the unified armed forces mobilisation and preparedness on the border.