Pakistan PM fires top defence official after army generals attack on civilian leadership

The move comes amid high tension over an unsigned memo that sought U.S. help
in reining in Pakistan’s generals.

Pakistan’s military is warning of ‘grievous consequences’ after the prime
minister was reported to have accused the army chief and the head of the spy
agency of violating the constitution.

The military statement Wednesday is the latest sign of a destabilising clash
between the army and the government of President Asif Ali Zardari, which
many commentators believe could end in the dismissal of the current
administration.

Prime Minister Yousuf Reza Gilani was quoted as telling a Chinese newspaper
that army chief Gen Pervez Ashfaq Kayani had violated the constitution by
submitting statements to the Supreme Court about a scandal involving a memo
sent to Washington that is rocking the country.

The army statement said this had “very serious ramifications with
potentially grievous consequences for the country.”

It did not elaborate.

Distrust between civilian leaders and the generals has bedeviled the
nuclear-armed South Asian country for almost its entire existence, with the
military ruling for more than half of its 64-year history after a series of
coups.

A senior military official said the latest tension was “very serious”.

In December, President Zardari flew to Dubai for medical treatment sparking
rumours that he had fled the country anticipating a coup.

Gen Kayani last month dismissed coup rumors as speculation and said the army
supported democracy. Zardari returned after about two weeks.

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