A day after Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani talked about a conspiracy to send his government packing, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani denied plans for a military coup on Friday but said there could be no compromise on national security, clearly suggesting the continuation of the standoff between the government and army over the memo issue. “Pakistan Army has and will continue to support the democratic process in the country,” General Kayani told troops during a visit to the forward posts in Mohmand Agency and Kurram Agency.
General Kayani strongly dispelled speculations of any military takeover and said: “These are misleading and are being used to divert focus from the real issues.”
An official statement from the prime minister’s office after his meeting with some parliamentarians on Friday once again said the legislators extended full support to the prime minister on his clear message that a state within a state was not acceptable and all institutions should perform their responsibilities in accordance with the constitution.
In a clear snub to the civilian rulers, General Kayani said: “The army is fully cognizant of its constitutional obligations and responsibilities.”
He emphasised that the issues of national security needed to be considered on merit alone. He concluded by saying that “irrespective of all other considerations, there can be no compromise on national security”.
He said the men and women of Pakistan Army were performing their duty of defending Pakistan in accordance with the oath they had taken. “They will continue to do so with the support and prayers of their countrymen, regardless of the cost,” he said.
Tensions between the civilian government and army leadership have risen since the emergence in October of an alleged memo purportedly handed over by President Asif Ali Zardari to the US administration through former ambassador Husain Haqqani asking for help in averting a military coup in May in the wake of a secret US raid in Abbottabad that killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Husain Haqqani, who is considered a close aide of President Zardari, resigned last month over the memo issue under reported pressure from the military leadership to face an enquiry into the memogate controversy.
The issue is, however, in the Supreme Court where Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif and other petitioners have sought an enquiry into the matter, which they believe is aimed at undermining the country’s security.
Great answer Sir. Gen Kiyani Sahib, you are the real leader in pakistan
Hussain Haqqani and Asif Zaradri are the traitors of the country. Punish them
Uzair Ahmed
Lahore
Ask him to buy you a dinner. You earned it…
Rigt he is this time it will be judicial martial law>
Zardari and company should be charged with treason because that is what they have committed. Salute to Gen. Kayani and Pak army.
They were charged by the people of Pakistan to run the country for a specific amount of time. Your kind of mind is the reason for Pakistan being where it is today…
Excuse me? What has this "democratic" government and Mr. 10% Bambino Cinema and his puppet Gilani, Babar Awan, and Rehman Malik and the rest of his fake degree holders who have not even passed matric achieved for this country in nearly 4 years? hmmm – lets see – power and gas loadshedding, Pak railways pretty much dead, PIA barely running on less than 21 planes, inflation sky rocketing, terrorists allowed to walk free, target killings, rape victims not given justice, and then any doubt about the memo zardari sent to his masters in the US has been clearly exposed by Haqqani's resignation. They were "charged by the people of Pakistan"? Imran Khan's petiition to the Supreme Court ruled that upto minimum 40% of the votes of the 2008 elections were fake! People like you are the cause of Pakistan's problems sir. Wake up and smell the roses. And the actual people who "voted" for these NRO criminals have no choice but to vote for these feudal badshahs – either at gunpoint or coerced.
Yes, run it right into the ground.
kayani you must resign and stop pressuring the civilian govt
Resigning with grace is not in the charter of a Pak army general…
LOLS – love how Pakistan Today censures public opinion like my response to Anon's comment. Sold media. I dare you to publish my response to Anon's comments and this one PT. Don't worry – Imran Khan will come and clean all of you bikaay media.
even independent media personnel have started saying that establishment is backing imran. he is a stooge, a puppet of military and a coward. the other day he said in an interview with saleem safi , that '' mein ''kham khaw'' taliban se ulhajhna nahi chahta.'' yeah, more than 36 thousand pakistanis have been brutally killed by taliban and other terrorist outfits , and the ''great revolutionary '' is afraid of calling spade a spade. aisi ''leadership'' aap ko mubarik ho.
Thank you General.
What will you gain even if you overthrow a civilian government at the barrel of the gun. What will be the outcome? Another black era like previous episodes.
The civilian leaders are bloddy cowards and they are responsible to give space to the generals in the military to embark upon the adventurism in the name of defending solidarity and integrity of the country.
In the constitution the military has to obey the orders of the civilian government not on the contrary.
Besides, the supreme court is definitely not going to provide the military the legal cover as they have always been getting.
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