* Gen. Asif Nawaz; Pakistani Army Chief of Staff

Gen. Asif Nawaz, 56, Pakistani army chief of staff who pledged to help democracy take root in a country long dominated by martial law. Nawaz replaced Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg as Pakistan’s top military chief on Aug. 16, 1991, in what was only the second peaceful transfer of power within Pakistan’s military since the country’s creation as an Islamic republic in 1947. Previous military chiefs had overthrown civilian governments. Nawaz, when named to the post, said that the army had no role in politics other than to defend the civilian government and the country. He said the army’s image had been tarnished and its officers corrupted during Pakistan’s 25 years of martial law. On Friday in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, of a heart attack.