Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Home
Business
Business Home
Economy
Davos 2012
Technology
Media
Small Business
Legal
Deals
Earnings
Summits
Business Video
Markets
Markets Home
U.S. Markets
European Markets
Asian Markets
Global Market Data
Indices
M&A
Stocks
Bonds
Currencies
Commodities
Futures
Funds
peHUB
World
World Home
U.S.
Brazil
China
Euro Zone
Japan
Mexico
Russia
India Insight
World Video
Politics
Politics Home
Election 2012
Issues 2012
Candidates 2012
Tales from the Trail
Political Punchlines
Supreme Court
Politics Video
Tech
Technology Home
MediaFile
Science
Tech Video
Opinion
Opinion Home
Chrystia Freeland
John Lloyd
Felix Salmon
Jack Shafer
David Rohde
Bernd Debusmann
Gregg Easterbrook
Nader Mousavizadeh
James Saft
Lucy P. Marcus
David Cay Johnston
Bethany McLean
Edward Hadas
Hugo Dixon
Ian Bremmer
Mohamed El-Erian
Lawrence Summers
Susan Glasser
The Great Debate
Steven Brill
Breakingviews
Equities
Credit
Private Equity
M&A
Macro & Markets
Politics
Money
Money Home
Global Investing
MuniLand
Unstructured Finance
Linda Stern
Mark Miller
John Wasik
Analyst Research
Alerts
Watchlist
Portfolio
Stock Screener
Fund Screener
Personal Finance Video
Life & Culture
Health
Sports
Arts
Faithworld
Business Traveler
Entertainment
Oddly Enough
Lifestyle Video
Pictures
Pictures Home
Reuters Photographers
Full Focus
Video
Article
Comments (6)
VIDEO
Iran's war games
Iranian state television announces the launch of a 10-day naval exercise. Video
Baghdad rocked by blasts
Syria's crackdown appears to continue
Six hurt at amateur bullfights in Colombia
Follow Reuters
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
YouTube
Read
In ad for newsletter, Ron Paul forecast "race war"
22 Dec 2011
Quakes rattle NZ's tremor-plagued Christchurch
|
22 Dec 2011
Four ex-players sue NFL alleging brain damage
22 Dec 2011
Melanie Amaro wins first U.S. season of "X Factor"
22 Dec 2011
Congress poised to pass payroll tax cut deal
|
1:14am EST
Discussed
127
Slumping Gingrich promises sharper counter-punch
114
North Korea state TV says Kim Jong il has died
92
Obama, Boehner lock horns in payroll tax fight
Watched
Earthquake strikes New Zealand
Thu, Dec 22 2011
Reuters Today: Toyota sees record sales in 2012
Thu, Dec 22 2011
Huge fire in San Francisco
Thu, Dec 22 2011
Pakistan leaders near showdown with army: newspapers
Tweet
Share this
Email
Print
Related News
U.S., Pakistan share blame in border deaths: U.S. probe
Thu, Dec 22 2011
Exclusive: Pakistan army wants Zardari out but not a coup
Thu, Dec 22 2011
Fierce clashes in Cairo, Clinton voices outrage
Tue, Dec 20 2011
Egypt clashes move into 4th day, U.S. worried
Mon, Dec 19 2011
Zardari returns to Pakistan amid memo saga
Mon, Dec 19 2011
Analysis & Opinion
Senior al-Azhar Sheikh Emad Effat shot dead during Cairo protests
Drum circle of the war hawks
Related Topics
World »
Pakistani soldiers shout ''Allah-hu-Akbar'' (God is Great) as Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (R) looks on during ''Al-Samsaam IV'', a joint military exercise conducted by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in Mangla, in Pakistan's Jhelum district, October 6, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Faisal Mahmood
By Qasim Nauman
ISLAMABAD |
Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:44pm EST
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's powerful military and civilian leaders are headed for a showdown over a memo that accused the country's generals of plotting a coup, newspaper editorials predicted on Friday.
"A specter is haunting Pakistan -- the specter of a clash between the army and the government that threatens to turn fatal," said an editorial entitled "Point of no return?" in the News.
Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani has called for an investigation into who may have been behind the memo which could further undermine deeply unpopular President Asif Ali Zardari.
The Supreme Court is looking into a petition demanding an inquiry into the matter.
Businessman Mansoor Ijaz, writing in a column in the Financial Times on October 10, said a senior Pakistani diplomat had asked that a memo be delivered to the Pentagon with a plea for U.S. help to stave off a military coup in the days after the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May.
Ijaz later identified the diplomat as Pakistan's ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, who denied involvement but resigned over the controversy.
The military faced unprecedented public criticism over the bin Laden affair, widely seen as a violation of sovereignty.
But many Pakistanis rallied around the army after a November 26 air attack by NATO forces in Afghanistan killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on the border. The memo has also helped boost the army's image at the expense of the government.
What has become known as "memogate" has made Zardari, who is close to Haqqani, more vulnerable than ever since taking office in 2008 in a country where anti-U.S. feeling runs high.
His government, heavily reliant on foreign financial help, has failed to tackle myriad problems, from crippling power cuts, to suicide bombings, to a struggling economy.
The army it is fed up with Zardari and wants him out of office, although through legal means and without a repeat of the coups that are a hallmark of the country's 64 years of independence, military sources told Reuters on Thursday.
"The breach between the army and the government appears to have widened to dangerous levels," said Dawn, one of the country's most respected newspapers.
"While even at this stage it is premature to assert that extra-constitutional means of removing the government are in the works, it would nevertheless be useful to recall that the army has usurped power four times in Pakistan's history to 'save the nation'."
ARBITER OF POWER
Friction between Pakistan's civilian government and military have bedeviled the nuclear-armed country for almost its entire existence, with the military ruling for more than half its 64-year history.
Any coup -- Pakistan has had three since independence in 1947 -- could further tarnish the military's image which has already taken a battering after the bin Laden operation, widely seen in Pakistan as a violation of sovereignty.
But the army remains the arbiter of power and analysts say it has plenty of ways to pressure Zardari to step down, especially if a link is established between him and the memo, which sought the Pentagon's help in averting a feared coup.
In the past the army has asked Pakistani civilian leaders to resign and influenced judicial proceedings against them.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani told parliament that any institution acting as a "state within a state" was unacceptable, in a clear reference to the military.
He also praised the army in what The Express Tribune described as "an attempt by him to assuage the powerful institution, while at the same time clearly saying that whatever is happening will not be taken lying down."
Zardari returned to Pakistan this week from medical treatment in Dubai that raised speculation he would resign under pressure from the military.
Although his position is largely ceremonial, he wields considerable influence as leader of the ruling party and his forced departure would be a humiliation for the civilian leadership and could throw the country into turmoil.
Zardari is the widower of former premier Benazir Bhutto, who spent years opposing military rule. She was assassinated in 2007.
Pakistan's next parliamentary elections are not due until 2013 although some opposition parties have been calling for early polls. Presidents are elected by legislators.
Summing up Pakistan's realities since its creation, the Daily Times said:
"No one can disagree with the principle of civilian supremacy but Pakistan's history is witness to how the military holds it in utter contempt and considers itself not to be subservient to the elected representatives."
(Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Robert Birsel)
World
Tweet this
Link this
Share this
Digg this
Email
Reprints
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (6)
cummings01 wrote:
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Back to top
Reuters.com
Business
Markets
World
Politics
Technology
Opinion
Money
Pictures
Videos
Site Index
Legal
Bankruptcy Law
California Legal
New York Legal
Securities Law
Support & Contact
Support
Corrections
Advertise With Us
Connect with Reuters
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
RSS
Podcast
Newsletters
Mobile
About
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider
An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution
A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance
Our next generation legal research platform
Our global tax workstation
Thomsonreuters.com
About Thomson Reuters
Investor Relations
Careers
Contact Us
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.