Islamabad:
Tension between the Pakistan Army and the civilian government has reached fever pitch over a secret memo, purportedly sent by President Asif Ali Zardari to the Obama administration, warning of a possible military takeover after Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan, in May this year. Mr Zardari met General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani today - their second meeting in as many days. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was also present at the meeting. Mr Zardari also met the US Ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter.
Pakistan's Ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, has reportedly written to President Zardari and has offered to resign. "According to sources, Ambassador Husain Haqqani is believed to have sent a letter to President Asif Ali Zardari, offering to resign if he is found guilty of writing a letter which has strained relations between the president and the military establishment," leading Pakistani news website Dawn.com has reported.
In his letter, he has reportedly said, "I serve at the pleasure of the President of Pakistan and the Prime Minster of Pakistan. And I have communicated my willingness to resign or participate in any inquiry that brings to an end the vilification against Pakistan currently being undertaken by some elements in the country...Since I was appointed ambassador in 2008, some people have consistently vilified me as having been involved in undermining the Pakistani armed forces, which I have never done."
Reports of his offer to resign come a day after Pakistan's political circles were abuzz with speculation about his recall in the wake of media reports on secret communications between President Asif Ali Zardari and the American administration to avert a possible military takeover.
Mr Haqqani has been at the centre of a controversy following Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz's revelations about President Zardari's purported efforts to reach out to the Obama administration to prevent the army chief from staging a coup. Mr Ijaz has claimed that he was asked to contact the US administration by a senior Pakistani official. Though he did not identify this official, the media and analysts have speculated that Haqqani was involved in the matter without providing any proof to back up their claims.
After a meeting of the ruling Pakistan People's Party's top leaders chaired by Mr Zardari on Monday, an official statement said a decision had been made to call Mr Haqqani to Islamabad to "brief the country's leadership on a host of issues impacting Pakistan-US relations and the recent developments".
Information minister Firdaus Awan has said Mr Haqqani's meetings in Islamabad are routine in nature. He added there was no substance in rumours over differences between civil and military leaderships.
There have been several indications of fresh strains in ties between the military and civilian government, with analysts noting the absence of Pakistan's top four military officials, including General Kayani, from an official banquet hosted by Mr Zardari at the presidency on Monday.
There are many questions doing the rounds in Pakistan such as why Husain Haqqani, who's seen by many as Mr Zardari's and Washington's favourite, would need a businessman to mediate with America's leadership. But, as Washington and Islamabad's relations sink further, and divisions within Pakistan grow deeper, perhaps the biggest question is what this unfolding drama means for Pakistan's internal political situation.
(With agency inputs)