Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry dismisses rumours of a military coup in Pakistan

Pakistan’s powerful military pledged on Friday to continue supporting democracy, reiterating it was not planning a takeover as tensions grew over a controversial memo alleging an army plot to seize power. At the same time, President
Asif Ali Zardari’s office said Zardari had no intention of leaving the country over the scandal, which has raised tensions and undermined the already deeply unpopular president.

An army statement quoted military chief General Ashfaq Kayani as telling troops the military will 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 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 United States.

The United States wants political stability in Pakistan so that Islamabad can help fight militancy and aid Western efforts to stabilise Afghanistan. Zardari, known for his resilience in the face of pressure, has no intention of
leaving, a senior member of his ruling party said. “The current information is there is no such plan. He is very much here,” the official, Shazia Marri, told Reuters. “It’s all speculation, and such speculation has proven baseless in the past as well,” Marri
said.

Pakistan’s top judge 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,”
Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar 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.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=7199

Posted by Hamza Jahangir on Dec 23 2011. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry