Pakistan army: Coup rumours misleading

Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani has ruled out a military takeover in the country, describing rumours about a coup amid a political scandal as “misleading,” the military said on Friday.“He (Kayani) strongly dispelled the speculations of any military takeover and said that these are misleading and are being used as a bogey to divert the focus from the real issues,” a military statement cited him as saying.The army chief’s remarks were made public several hours after Pakistan’s top judge Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry also ruled out a military coup.Rest assured... in this country there is no question of (military) takeover because the people trust the apex court now,” said the chief justice while hearing petitions calling for an investigation into a memo scandal. The general, who was addressing troops in Mohmand and Kurram tribal regions near the Afghan border, “reiterated that (the) Pakistan Army has and will continue to support the democratic process in the country,” it said.“The army is fully cognisant of its constitutional obligations and responsibilities,” Kayani was quoted as saying.The general added that “irrespective of all other considerations, there can be no compromise on national security,” without elaborating on his meaning.On Thursday, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani delivered an unprecedented tirade against the military and accused “conspirators” — whom he did not name — of plotting to bring down his government.