Pakistan’s Army chief resents PM’S criticisms
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's army chief is furious with the prime minister for statements criticising the army and has demanded that they be clarified or withdrawn, a senior military source said yesterday.
"The army chief complained to the president about the prime minister's statements, and said they needed to be either clarified or withdrawn," the source said. "He said such statements were divisive and made the country more vulnerable."
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani earlier criticised Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani and the director-general of the Inter-services Intelligence agency LieutenantGeneral Ahmed Shuja Pasha for filing court papers in a case involving a mysterious memo that has pitted the military against the civilian government.
In an interview with Chinese media, Gilani said the filings were "unconstitutional", infuriating the military's high command, who issued a stern press release. "There can be no allegation more serious than what the honourable prime minister has levelled," it said. "This has very serious ramifications with potentially grievous consequences for the country."
Gilani further infuriated the army on Wednesday by sacking the defence secretary, retired Lieutenant General Naeem Khalid Lodhi, for "gross misconduct and illegal action which caused misunderstanding" between institutions.
Lodhi was the most senior civil servant responsible for military affairs, a post usually seen as the military's main advocate in the civilian bureaucracy.
As angry as Kayani is, the source said, the council of senior military commanders is even more angry, the source said.
"There is a lot of pressure by the main corps commanders on the army chief regarding the statements of the prime minister," the source said. The army's fury is cause for serious concern for the civilian government, and Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari went on a charm offensive yesterday.
"Our government and parliament, and above all our patriotic people, have stood fully behind our brave armed forces and security personnel," Gilani said at a cabinet defence committee meeting also attended by Kayani.
"It has been my government's policy to allow and enable all state institutions to play their role in their respective domains," he added.
Earlier, Zardari met Kayani in a similar attempt to mend fences.
"The current security situation was discussed," a presidential spokesman said, without giving any details. Pakistan's politicians and media pundits have been abuzz with rumours of a possible coup since the memo controversy erupted in October. — Reuters