Pakistan PM
fires top defence official after army generals attack on civilian leadership
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf
Raza Gilani sacked his defence secretary on Wednesday for "gross
misconduct" as tensions with the military exploded following an army warning
to the civilian leader.
"Prime
minister has terminated the contract of defence secretary Naeem Khalid Lodhi
for gross misconduct," he said.
State
media said he had been fired "for creating misunderstanding between the
state institutions".
The
army earlier said the defence ministry had failed to process its submissions
made to a Supreme Court inquiry into a controversial unsigned memo that sought
US help in curbing the power of the military.
The
move by Pakistan's prime minister came as fears grow the country's powerful
military is bent on ousting the government.
The
channels did not give a reason why the secretary, Retired Lieutenant General Khalid
Lodhi, who was the top defence bureaucrat, was fired.
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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