ISLAMABAD — Prime Minister You suf Raza Gilani warned Thursday of a conspiracy to oust the government, signaling that tension between his civilian administration and the country’s powerful army might be close to a breaking point.
Gilani’s remarks come amid a widening scandal involving a supposed secret memo that his administration sent to Washington in the spring asking for help in averting a coup.
“There can be no state within a state,” Gilani said at a function commemorating the birth of Pakistan’s founder. “People will have to decide whether they want elected people or a dictatorship in the country.”
The rumors about a coup have set off alarms in Washington and Kabul, where many officials accuse the Pakistani military of playing a spoiler role in America’s war with the Taliban.
Denver Post wire services
