Zardari rejects Kayani call to drop ministers

Oct 11, 2010 |

Correspondent

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Islamabad, Oct. 10: The Pakistan President, Mr Asif Ali Zardari, has rejected a proposal by the powerful Army Chief, Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, to remove some “corrupt” ministers who happen to be the close aides of Mr Zardari, a media report said.

A report in the Time magazine said that the situation is not in the favour of the government following the differences between Gen. Kayani and the President Mr Zardari.

The report said that the civilian government in Pakistan is at a loss and once again the Army is flexing its muscles to install a new civilian setup.

What got the rumour mills going on this time was a leak that Gen. Kayani, in a meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr Yousaf Raza Gilani, and Mr Zardari, demanded the removal of several Cabinet ministers because of alleged corruption.

But fears are that the military was positioning itself to install a new civilian government because Mr Zardari did not agree to the suggestion of the Army Chief to remove his close aide from the Cabinet. The report said that the rumours of a pending coup were a popular dinner-party topic. It said that the military, after all, had directly ruled Pakistan for more than half of the 63 years. The report also quoted a senior Western diplomat as saying that extreme depression was being expr-essed due to the corruption of the present government.

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