Pakistan army welcomes new head General Raheel Sharif

In a ceremony full of pomp in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, General Ashfaq Kayani has handed over the reins as the country's army chief.

It is one of the most important roles in South Asia in terms of regional stability, and many observers await to see how his successor General Raheel Sharif will approach the job particularly in relation to the conflict in Afghanistan.

While many Pakistanis question whether or not their country is safer after General Kayani's tenure, he has been praised for not doing what some army chiefs have done there in the past - stage a coup.

Aleem Maqbool watched the ceremony.