Prime minister's conspiracy'

comments jolt Pakistan
A sense of foreboding gripped the country on Thursday as a showdown between the civilian arm of the government and the army-led security establishment looked imminent, with the Supreme Court also making it abundantly clear that instead of backing off from the so-called `memogate` scandal, it would like to take it to its logical conclusion.

GOVERNMENT, ARMY ON COLLISION COURSE

PAKISTAN WAS ABUZZ FRIDAY WITH POLITICAL RUMOR AND INTRIGUE ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A LOOMING CLASH BETWEEN ELECTED LEADERS AND THE MILITARY AFTER PRIME MINISTER YOUSUF RAZA GILANI SAID HE BELIEVED PLOTS WERE UNDER WAY TO TOPPLE THE GOVERNMENT.

"GOVERNMENT, ARMY ON COLLISION COURSE," READ THE HEADLINE OF THE MAIN STORY ON THE WEBSITE OF DAWN, A LEADING ENGLISH-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER IN PAKISTAN. "GILANI TAKES ARMY HEAD ON," SAID THE TOP ARTICLE ON THE WEBSITE OF THE NATION, ANOTHER MAJOR DAILY.

The papers appeared to be interpreting Gilani's comments Thursday, in which he said there were "conspiracies and intrigues being hatched to pack up the elected government," as an implicit attack on Pakistan's powerful military, which has seized power from civilian authorities a number of times in the country's history.

Mr. Gilani also lashed out at the army, reminding its leaders that they are subordinate to the civilian government —rare comments that have caused a furor in Pakistan and fueled talk of an impending clash between the military and civilian arms of the state.

Despite Mr. Gilani's comments, Pakistan's army is only subordinate to the government in theory, while in practice it operates with wide autonomy. The Defense Ministry, in a statement to the Supreme Court, admitted it has no authority over the army. The country's generals have directly ruled Pakistan for half its 64-year history as a nation state, most recently for a decade before 2008 elections that brought the PPP to power.

Gilani said Thursday that no institution "can be a state within a state" and that "every ministry, including the Ministry of Defense, is answerable to the Parliament of Pakistan."

The Pakistani military denied Gilani's claims Friday, issuing a statement saying the "Army has and will continue to support democratic process in the country."