Pakistan’s powerful Army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, on Friday ruled out any military coup, saying there was “no threat” to democracy.
“There is no threat to democracy. The Army will not take over,” said Gen. Kayani, who is believed to have differences with the PPP-government. Talking to his soldiers near the Afghan border, Gen. Kayani said the speculation about a military takeover was “misleading” and was being used as a “bogey” to divert attention from “real issues”.
The statement came a day after Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani warned that conspiracies were being hatched to “pack up” his government.
Also on Friday, Pakistan’s Chief Justi-ce Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry said that no military takeover would happen. “Rest assured... In this country there is no question of a takeover as the people trust the Supreme Court now.”
The judge, who heads a nine-member bench examining the “Memo-gate” scandal, added: “Past are the days when the courts endor-sed unconstitutional measures. We are sitting here to safeguard the Constitution”.