Islamabad:
The next 24 hours are going to be crucial in deciding what happens next in the volatile face-off between Pakistan's elected government and the military.
Though Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani praised the army after his meeting with General Kayani on Saturday, he today stood firm on his on comments on Army and ISI saying he is responsible only to Parliament.
"I am answerable to Parliament. And if somebody has any complaint, I will not answer any individual. I am answerable to Parliament and whenever Parliament asks, I will put my views before it. We never said that I will be the Prime minister for 5 years. I never said that. However, I said that Parliament will complete its term and people have elected parliament for five years," Mr Gilani said.
Many believe that the fate of Zardari's government now also rests with Pakistan's Supreme Court, which will hear two crucial cases tomorrow - that of a slew of corruption cases against President Zardari that were closed under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), a graft amnesty issued by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 2007, and the all-important memogate hearings.
The Supreme Court had warned last week that Prime Minister Gilani could be disqualified and that action could also be taken against President Zardari if the government kept defying its orders on the NRO issue.
The court had said that Mr Gilani "may not be an honest person on account of his not being honest to the oath of his office". It further warned that the President could face the "same consequences" for violating his oath of office.
Mansoor Ijaz, the American businessman who says he delivered a secret memo to the Washington administration will depose on Monday. While some reports say he has already arrived in the country by a special plane, others say he could fly into a military airbase in Rawalpindi and granted a visa on arrival so that he can testify tomorrow. (Read)
Mr Ijaz had alleged that President Zardari had sought American intervention to insulate his government from a military coup that he feared after Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in May last year. This, he alleged, had been done through a secret "memo" which he claimed was written by Pakistan's former envoy to the US Husain Haqqani on behalf of President Zardari.
However, there appeared to be a temporary truce between the civilian government and the army when President Zardari met with army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani on Saturday. (Read) Pakistan's civilian government and its military have been locked in a bitter battle post the memogate scandal which reached a crescendo on Thursday when the military warned that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's comments could pose "grievous consequences for the country" after the latter told the Chinese media that the chiefs of the army and main intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), had acted "an unconstitutional and illegal" manner while making submissions to the Supreme Court on the scandal.
Simultaneously, Mr Gilani is pressing for a vote of confidence in his government on the same day in Parliament. The move comes amid mounting speculation that he could end up becoming the fall guy in the tussle between the army and the government.
Prior to that, though, Mr Gilani - in a significant climbdown yesterday - said that all state institutions would be allowed to play their role in an apparent bid to resolve the tense stand-off between his government and the military.
With Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani by his side, he described the armed forces as a "pillar of nation's resilience and strength" and lauded their services in the defence of the country.
(With PTI inputs)
Though Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani praised the army after his meeting with General Kayani on Saturday, he today stood firm on his on comments on Army and ISI saying he is responsible only to Parliament.
"I am answerable to Parliament. And if somebody has any complaint, I will not answer any individual. I am answerable to Parliament and whenever Parliament asks, I will put my views before it. We never said that I will be the Prime minister for 5 years. I never said that. However, I said that Parliament will complete its term and people have elected parliament for five years," Mr Gilani said.
Many believe that the fate of Zardari's government now also rests with Pakistan's Supreme Court, which will hear two crucial cases tomorrow - that of a slew of corruption cases against President Zardari that were closed under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), a graft amnesty issued by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 2007, and the all-important memogate hearings.
The Supreme Court had warned last week that Prime Minister Gilani could be disqualified and that action could also be taken against President Zardari if the government kept defying its orders on the NRO issue.
The court had said that Mr Gilani "may not be an honest person on account of his not being honest to the oath of his office". It further warned that the President could face the "same consequences" for violating his oath of office.
Mansoor Ijaz, the American businessman who says he delivered a secret memo to the Washington administration will depose on Monday. While some reports say he has already arrived in the country by a special plane, others say he could fly into a military airbase in Rawalpindi and granted a visa on arrival so that he can testify tomorrow. (Read)
Mr Ijaz had alleged that President Zardari had sought American intervention to insulate his government from a military coup that he feared after Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in May last year. This, he alleged, had been done through a secret "memo" which he claimed was written by Pakistan's former envoy to the US Husain Haqqani on behalf of President Zardari.
However, there appeared to be a temporary truce between the civilian government and the army when President Zardari met with army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani on Saturday. (Read) Pakistan's civilian government and its military have been locked in a bitter battle post the memogate scandal which reached a crescendo on Thursday when the military warned that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's comments could pose "grievous consequences for the country" after the latter told the Chinese media that the chiefs of the army and main intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), had acted "an unconstitutional and illegal" manner while making submissions to the Supreme Court on the scandal.
Simultaneously, Mr Gilani is pressing for a vote of confidence in his government on the same day in Parliament. The move comes amid mounting speculation that he could end up becoming the fall guy in the tussle between the army and the government.
Prior to that, though, Mr Gilani - in a significant climbdown yesterday - said that all state institutions would be allowed to play their role in an apparent bid to resolve the tense stand-off between his government and the military.
With Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani by his side, he described the armed forces as a "pillar of nation's resilience and strength" and lauded their services in the defence of the country.
(With PTI inputs)
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