Thursday, January 12, 2012

Reports: Pakistani PM Gilani Yousuf Raza may resign

Signalling a deepening turmoil in Pakistani leadership, reports on Thursday said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani might resign.

According to reports, the Pakistani government is mulling calling a vote of confidence for President Asif Ali Zardari and PM Gilani.

The Pakistani government might call a joint session of Parliament next week. Gilani may resign after receiving a vote of confidence.

On Tuesday, Zardari said he is ready to give up his post if his Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and coalition partners so desire.

The President has called a special session of the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament on January 12.

The turmoil in Pakistan has deepened with Gilani firing the defence secretary in a dispute over a memo sent to Washington that has enraged the Army, escalating a crisis pitting the civilian government against the powerful military leadership.

The Army warned darkly of "grievous consequences" as a result of the standoff.

The developments were a sign of near-open conflict between the Army, which has often seized power in the country's six-decade history.

The unsigned memo sent to Washington asks for its help in reining in the power of the military in exchange for favourable security policies. It was allegedly masterminded by Pakistan' envoy to Washington, who resigned in a failed attempt to stem the fallout.

Acting under Army pressure, the Supreme Court ordered a probe to establish whether the memo had been sanctioned by Zardari, a prospect that could lead to impeachment hearings. As part of the investigation, Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the head of the main spy agency, Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, said in statements submitted to the court that the memo was genuine and part of a conspiracy against the Army.

The Pakistani PM said in an interview to a Chinese newspaper this week that Kayani and Pasha had violated the Constitution by submitting the statements.

The Army denied the men's actions were illegal, and said in a statement that Gilani's allegations had "very serious ramifications with potentially grievous consequences for the country”.

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