Pakistan’s powerful military pledged on Friday to continue supporting democracy, reiterating it was not planning a takeover as tensions grow over a controversial memo alleging an army plot to seize power.
At the same time, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the president had resumed his duties after returning from medical treatment in Dubai and had no intention of leaving over the scandal, which has undermined the already deeply unpopular president.
An army statement quoted Pakistani Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani as telling troops the military would continue to support democracy in Pakistan and that any talk the army was planning to take over was “speculation.”
Many Pakistanis wonder whether Zardari can survive the crisis and speculation has been growing that the powerful generals will try to oust him somehow. The tension is a worrying sign for the region and for Pakistan’s uneasy relationship with its key ally, the US.
There are several scenarios under which Zardari could be forced out. The military does not want to be seen interfering in politics, but it could use its vast influence to isolate Zardari, or offer him an honorable exit by guaranteeing he will not face prosecution on long-standing corruption charges.
Alternatively, the Pakistani Supreme Court justices, seen by some as anti-Zardari, could move against him over the memo case.
The US wants political -stability in Pakistan so that Islamabad can help fight militancy and aid Western efforts to stabilize Afghanistan.
In Washington, US Department of State spokesman Mark Toner told reporters the US supported the democratic process and the rule of law in Pakistan and that such issues were “for the Pakistani people to resolve within their own political process.”
Zardari, known for his resilience in the face of pressure, plans to stay in Pakistan, his spokesman Babar said.
“He is performing his usual work. There is no truth in the reports that the president will leave the country after Dec. 27. He is here in Pakistan and he has come to stay,” Babar added.
Zardari is expected to address a rally tomorrow, on the fourth anniversary of the assassination of his wife, former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
On Friday, Zardari chaired a meeting with senior leaders of his Pakistan People’s Party, and also met coalition partners.
Pakistani Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry earlier moved to allay fears of a possible military coup as tensions rose.
“There is no question of a takeover. Gone are the days when people used to get validation for unconstitutional steps from the courts,” Chaudhry said.
The Supreme Court is looking into a petition demanding an inquiry into what has become known as “memogate.” Kayani, arguably the most powerful man in the country, has called for an investigation into who may have been behind the memo.
Newspaper editorials on Friday highlighted unease in the nuclear-armed nation, predicting a showdown between Zardari and his allies and the military, which is so influential it has been described as a state within a state.
“A specter is haunting Pakistan — the specter of a clash between the army and the government that threatens to turn fatal,” said an editorial in The News
Businessman Mansoor Ijaz, writing in a column in the Financial Times on Oct. 10, said a senior Pakistani diplomat had asked that a memo be delivered to the US Pentagon with a plea for US help to stave off a military coup in the days after the raid that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May.
Ijaz later identified the diplomat as then-Pakistani ambassador to Washington Husain Haqqani, a Zardari ally who denied involvement, but resigned over the controversy.
The Pakistani military faced unprecedented public criticism over the bin Laden raid, widely seen as a violation of sovereignty.
However, many Pakistanis rallied around the army after a Nov. 26 air attack by US forces in Afghanistan mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on the border. The memo has also helped boost the army’s image at the expense of the government.
Late on Friday, a Pakistani official said a planned briefing by the head of US Central Command General James Mattis to explain the incident to Pakistani leaders had been cancelled.
Toner said the briefing was postponed at the Pakistanis’ request, but not cancelled.
“They decided to postpone it ... As you well know, there is some -internal political dynamics right now in Pakistan so they felt it was best to postpone it until a later date,” he said.
Zardari’s government has become increasingly unpopular since he took office in 2008. It has failed to tackle myriad problems, from crippling power cuts to suicide bombings and a struggling economy.
The army is fed up with Zardari and wants him out of office, although through legal means and without a repeat of the coups that have been a hallmark of the country’s 64 years of independence, military sources said on Thursday.
Another military source said tensions must be defused.
“Tempers are flaring, there is no doubt about that. However, there are efforts to pacify the situation as well and I hope they work, as under the current scenario, it is fast becoming a recipe for a head-on collision,” he said on Friday.
Dawn, one of the country’s most respected newspapers, said talk that a coup was being planned was premature, but also noted the army has seized power before.
The army remains the arbiter of power and analysts say it has plenty of ways to pressure Zardari to step down, especially if a link is established between him and the memo, which sought the Pentagon’s help in averting a feared coup.
In the past the army has asked Pakistani civilian leaders to resign and influenced judicial -proceedings against them.
On Thursday, Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani told parliament that any institution acting as a “state within a state” was unacceptable, a clear reference to the military.
Although his position is largely ceremonial, Zardari wields considerable influence as leader of the ruling party and his forced departure would be a humiliation for the civilian leadership and could throw the country into renewed political turmoil.
Pakistan’s next parliamentary elections are not scheduled until 2013, although some opposition parties have been calling for early polls. Pakistani presidents are elected by legislators.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is constructing a new counter-stealth radar system on a disputed reef in the South China Sea that would significantly expand its surveillance capabilities in the region, satellite imagery suggests. Analysis by London-based think tank Chatham House suggests China is upgrading its outpost on Triton Island (Jhongjian Island, 中建島) on the southwest corner of the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), building what might be a launching point for an anti-ship missile battery and sophisticated radar system. “By constraining the US ability to operate stealth aircraft, and threaten stealth aircraft, these capabilities in the South China Sea send
HAVANA: Repeated blackouts have left residents of the Cuban capital concerned about food, water supply and the nation’s future, but so far, there have been few protests Maria Elena Cardenas, 76, lives in a municipal shelter on Amargura Street in Havana’s colonial old town. The building has an elegant past, but for the last few days Maria has been cooking with sticks she had found on the street. “You know, we Cubans manage the best we can,” she said. She lives in the shelter because her home collapsed, a regular occurrence in the poorest, oldest parts of the beautiful city. Cuba’s government has spent the last days attempting to get the island’s national grid functioning after repeated island-wide blackouts. Without power, sleep becomes difficult in the heat, food
Botswana is this week holding a presidential election energized by a campaign by one previous head-of-state to unseat his handpicked successor whose first term has seen rising discontent amid a downturn in the diamond-dependent economy. The charismatic Ian Khama dramatically returned from self-exile six weeks ago determined to undo what he has called a “mistake” in handing over in 2018 to Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who seeks re-election tomorrow. While he cannot run as president again having served two terms, Khama has worked his influence and standing to support the opposition in the southern African country of 2.6 million people. “The return of
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has rejected a plan for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to visit Kyiv due to Guterres’ attendance at this week’s BRICS summit in Russia, a Ukrainian official said on Friday. Kyiv was enraged by Guterres’ appearance at the event in the city of Kazan on Thursday and his handshake with its host, Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Guterres, who called for a “just peace” in Ukraine at the BRICS event and has repeatedly condemned the invasion, discussed a visit to Ukraine with Zelenskiy when they met in New York
RSS