PM Gilani called UK diplomat, fearing coup: report
14 January, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani telephoned the top British diplomat in the country this week, expressing fears that the army might be about to stage a coup, a British official and an official in Islamabad said on Friday. The Pakistani and British governments denied the report, which comes as tension between the Pakistan Army and the government has soared in recent days, leading to speculation that the army might try to oust the civilian leadership. Gilani asked High Commissioner Adam Thomson for Britain's to support his embattled government, according to the officials, who didn't give their names because of the sensitivity of the issue. It's unclear if the British government took any action. Political leaders have often looked to foreign powers, especially the United States and Gulf countries, to intervene in domestic affairs, mediate disputes between feuding power centers or "guarantee" agreements between them. A scandal centered on an unsigned memo sent to Washington last year asking for its help in heading off a supposed coup has put the military and the government on a seeming collision course. Most analysts believe the generals may be happy to allow the Supreme Court to dismiss the government by "constitutional means." The reported phone call, which one official said was "panicky", would suggest a genuine fear at the highest level of the government that army might carry out a coup or support possible moves by the Supreme Court to topple the civilian leadership. The British Foreign Office, however, said in a statement on Friday there was "no phone call on this matter." The Prime Minister's House on Friday strongly denied the report that Gilani had telephoned the British High Commissioner seeking his help to avert a coup. A statement from the Prime Minister's House says, "The prime minister has not spoken to the British High Commissioner and the story is totally unfounded." The statement said that the democratic government led by Gilani draws its strength from the people of Pakistan and not from any foreign power. Separately, the British High Commission rejected the news item about any telephonic conversation between Gilani and Thomson. In a statement issued by the spokesperson of the British High Commission said, "The story about a recent phone call between UK High Commissioner Adam Thomson and Prime Minister Gilani is untrue." The British High Commission further stated that "there has been no such call". End.
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