DUBAI/ RAWALPINDI: President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani agreed that the country's interests were supreme, in a teleconference on Saturday.
Kayani had called Zardari to inquire about his health, while he recovers at his residence in Dubai.
Earlier on Friday, Gilani and the army chief had held a one-on-one three hour long meeting.
Little was known about what was discussed, except an official statement issued.
The official statement issued by the media office of the prime minister termed murmurs of a civilian-military stand-off as mere ‘rumors’.
“Taking serious note of the rumors regarding a confrontation over the Memo issue, Gilani strongly rejected the notion,” the statement said.
According to insiders he had castigated the armed forces for approaching the Supreme Court directly with its replies in the memo case instead of coming through the ministry of defence.
“They (army and Inter-Services Intelligence) should have adopted the proper channel in filing their replies,” sources quoted PM as saying during the meeting.
But the statement following the Kayani-Gilani meeting had the contrary to say.
“The prime minister and the army chief also agreed that replies forwarded by the COAS and DG ISI were in response to the notice of the Honourable Court, through proper channel and in accordance with the rules of business and should not be misconstrued as a standoff between the Army and the government,” read the brief statement issued after the meeting.
Earlier on Wednesday, Zardari was discharged from the hospital and moved to his residence in Dubai.His physician had confirmed that all medical investigations carried out were within the normal range.
The 56-year-old had left Pakistan for treatment after falling ill on December 6.
(Read: PM-army chief meet: Gilani, Kayani go three hours, one-on-one)
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COMMENTS (37)
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@Ahmed S: We want everything but we really donot want to do any hard work for it. We want shortcuts just shortcuts, first hand example IMRAN khan. Trying to bring inqalab of lotas in pakistan...
The civilian leadership standing upto military is a positive development, setting precedence to all future govts in Islamabad.
I think it is the joke to the history.PM is saying Executive and Army on same page but in supreme court they are on different pages. Akhir yah kis ko bewqoof bana rahi hain.
Democracy or Dictatorship....We want a Pakistan to prosper!
Despite my disgust for the present government and its policies, rather abject lack of them, I cannot come around supporting any sort of soft/hard coup in Pakistan. Two wrongs don't make a right, and it is time that we solve our national problems by finding solutions rather through shortcuts that only delay and excerbate the inevitable. The current govt needs to be routed through a clean ballot. Are Pakistanis willing to come out and vote for a better future today ? Or do they still want someone else to do their job ? The answer the the questions will determine Pakistan's destiny. Personally speaking, I don't think that people are in favor or any sort of miliarty intervention.
@Khurram: You are damn right, brother. But at least COAS Kayani has not taken any xtreme step and is trying to talk sense into the politicians and put the country on an even keel.
(Personal opinion, no offence meant to anybody). Salams
@Sindhvoice: Excellent comments. But in an ideal Pakistan or in theory? If you look at the innumerable goof ups our politicians have made; with three exceptions being Jinnah, Ayub and Bhutto, you will agree with me.
Indian army cannot control such a vast population and landmass. Turkey is educated and the citizens are not blind to what is being said by politicians of varying hues.
No doubt Yahya, Zia and Musharraf also made goof ups, but Zia was compelled to act as he did because of the Afghan War stretching for ten years. Musharraf was good till 2002 and after that the PML Q took over his thinking combined with Condoleeza Rice, largely.
Abuse and criticize me as much as you want but my feelings for the participation of the armed forces in Pakistan's history, is inseparable. This is due to the lack of literacy, economics and human rights. With the presence of wholesale corruption, lawlessness, sagging economy and defiance of Supreme Court's judgements, one can only hope for a new day (look at the plight of Sindh flood affectees as an example).
Please accept my apologies for differing with you and have a nice day.
@Pragmatist: And Pakisatn as well...
Yes, the show must go on.........
Either the army should have guts to takeover the government and run the show (wish won't happen) or it should allow the civilians to so, this kind of meddling from the behind at each and everything makes the state fragile and weak.
@Sindhvoice
My friend in Turkey the democratic government has delivered to the masses very well. The govt/rafah party is not a bunch of immoral looters.... they have made Turkey an economic powerhouse, with jobs and no-inflation, they have taken actions against corruption. They have gained the credibility and support of masses and hence contained the military.
What has this govt. and Pakistani politicians given to the masses? you talk about sindh? what have they done for the flood victims in sindh??? what have they done to pia? to railways? to steel mills? pepco? even cda is bankrupt due to corruption and mismanagment.
people dont support such democracies... they don't care when they are grinded.
These meetings remind me of the meeting that Leghari had with BB before her dismissal and a similar statement was made after the meeting. Or the meetings between Musharraf and Nawaz Sharif. I think Zia-ul-Haq also gave an all good assurance to ZAB. The fact of the matter is that lust for power blinds all usurpers to the extreme. I don't find any reason to think otherwise this time, as all usurpers have the same genetic makeup.
@Sindhvoice: "Where on earth it happens..." It happens in Burma, Eritrea, Somalia and Niger.
This is power struggle going on. The military in Pakistan thinks it is the state. This highhandedness leads to overstepping into political affairs which inevitably precipitates friction with the civilian leadership. All this while since independence US support was with the army. Now that is switching side towards the civilian leadership. This is the context of the present flare up.
In Pakistan the tilt in the balance in internal politics is determined by which side the US comes to support. And for US Pakistani public opinion is a major issue now. It will not do anything that antagonizes the Pakistani people away from the US. Memogate was a miscalculation by Zardari and co. More than that it was an ambush by the ISI. I suspect there must have been many such memos to the US before. But the US authorities seemingly lacks confidence on Zardari and co. or may be they just did not find his offer doable. ISI knew all this and used it this time because Zardari was looking to wrest more and more control of the state affairs from the army. The present crisis weakens the Civilian leadership while it is too early for the army to legitimize another coup. So my question is who is gaining ?
Till this question of political stability gets solved Pakistan will never prosper. Zardari fled out of insecurity. Now he will come back with US support.But nobody in Pakistan will be powerful enough to give the country some direction that it desperately needs because the political struggle is far from over. I want to ask again that who is gaining out of all this ? I can find only one answer. USA.
@Nadir: Our own dear Uncle Sam. At present Mr. (Mu)barack Hussein Obama.
The economy seems no one's priority. Sad.
Bye Bye democracy
@Sindhvoice: Where in the earth does it happen that sitting government recruits people of dual nationality at its key posts of interior ministry or pricipal seats of beurocracy? Where in the earth does it happen where 40% of the members of parliament belong to other countries with thier sons , daughters and assests abroad? Where does it happen that shady chracters of a sitting goverment hire international agents like Mansoor EJAZ to give other countries control of its nuclear program?If your comment is intended to wish for civilian supremacy over army. Then you have to give a thought to the example of Turkey. The only way to achieve civilian superamacy it by performing better governance and reviving economy and not by writing memos.
What about this one ?
http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=187057
Media portrays misperception about telephonic conversation between COAS and President
ISLAMABAD: The media especially some private TV channels telecasted the news item in wrong context that Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani called President Zardari to inquire about his heath.
The sources told Online that as a matter of fact General Kayani was in the meeting with Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani at the PM House. In the meantime during the meeting President Zardari called Prime Minister Gilani from Dubai.
The Prime Minister told President Zardari that General Kayani was also present at the occasion, on which COAS desired to inquire about the President’s health, and he did so.
The sources said that the electronic media reported as Chief of Army Staff General Kayani particularly telephoned the President Zardari, which was a wrong perception.
So who made the call? ET reports Kayani called; Dawn writes Zardari did. I bet the man really in charge wasn't the one......
Reading the comments I am glad to see that the civilians in Pakistan take great interest in their country's wellbeing and that they are wary of the military's iron grip on their country.
@Sindhvoice: Let me ask you a counter-question, in what democracy, people accused of rampant corruption make up the top echelon of a country's leadership? In what democracy does a teenager become a chairman of a leading political party just because of being grand son of a leader (Mr. Bhutto)...its true that army should not over-step their boundaries...but let's not also over-dramatize the situation by giving a free card to civilian leadership who has been at fault as well.
Gillani : Memo is a conspiracy against Democracy & government! Kiyani : Memo is a Conspiracy against Army & national Security.
TOTALLY Opposite!
CIA new ways of using influencing agents to create Civil-Military divide is back to ground zero. We need to work together intelligently to reduce and limit the dependecy on CIA secret games such as we need to focus our energies on improving economy, developing new and clean leadership and moral uplift of society
Does anyone hear marching steps of "Pur Asrar Bundahs?" Another Slahahuddin on mission to rescue Pakistan and defend its "idealogical boundaries?" Who knows!
Do you believe Gilani's statement that there is no clash between the Presidency, army and judiciary?
Yes No My choice: They are all corrupt
@positive pakistani:
Whoever has the danda.
@Nadir: whoever wants to..
General Kayani had the leaders including you sir, put the Country's Interests before their own we would not have faced this situation we are in now. Unfortunately we have been hearing only words never saw any deeds.
Who decides what Pakistans interests are?
Army is our institution and we all love it.But I am sorry, they have NO Right what so ever to interfere in civilian affairs.They need to respect the Law of land and accept the Civilian Supremacy. Where in democracy it happens that PM and President felt threatened by their own Military??Where on earth it happens in democratic systems that military controls the strings behind the scene and politicians and media are left with no choice but act as their puppets.
When Generals can be asked to resign in India and Turkey, why not in Pakistan, if they try to derail democracy??For progressive and strong federation, every institution does its own business, not to cross the boundary.
Enough of drama, privileged people who head different institutions should work together for the betterment of ordinary Pakistanis.
govt. n military r on the same page for sure.....
In country's supreme interest its very important that big cats keep on fighting so that all important issues like lawlessness, terrorism, inflation, umemployement, energy crises remain at sidelines.
I can see a complete harmony between the executive, judiciary and military.
People who are concocting stories will see that Mr. Zardari is going to return back to Pakistan before December 27, 2011.
A better understanding between the various institutions can defeat the nefarious agenda of the people who want to see chaos and political crises in the country.
Sooner or later, Memo-Gate scandal is also going to die one day.
Nothing is going to happen unusual, as it all seems to be normal.