Pak PM says govt will complete its term

Supporters of Pakistani cricketer turned politician Imran Khan, Inset, gather for a public rally in Karachi yesterday. As Pakistan wrestles with a political crisis Imran Khan, leader of the opposition Movement for Justice Party, is drawing ever-bigger crowds in his bid to become premier, but analysts remain sceptical about the national cricket hero's chances of winning. Khan.Photo: AFP

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani yesterday said the parliament will complete its five years term amid rising tensions that military may take power.
He said that this will strengthen the democratic institutions.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari has called upon the nation to make a pledge that it will not allow any change through “force and intimidation and respect the power of ballot as an instrument of change”.
The tone and tenor of the text was striking given that triteness distinguishes messages on such occasions. The symbolism behind use of words like “change through force” and reference to 'ballot' and 'bullet' was unmistakable in view of the grim political scenario.
Tensions have been running high between the government and the powerful army after a scandal surfaced that said Zardari feared military power takeover after the killing of Osama bin Laden, raising concerns for the region and for Pakistan's already uneasy relationship with its key ally, the US.
Mansoor Ijaz, an American businessman of Pakistan origin, wrote in a column in the Financial Times on October 10 that a senior Pakistani diplomat had asked that a memo be delivered to the Pentagon with a plea for US help to stave off a military coup in the days after the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May.
Ijaz later identified the diplomat as Pakistan's ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, who denied involvement but resigned over the controversy.
The scandal has reached a fever pitch, and rumors have swirled in recent weeks that President Asif Ali Zardari, who left Pakistan for medical treatment in Dubai earlier this month, would be forced out by the military, which has ruled Pakistan for almost half of its 64-year history.
Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani has ruled out the possibility of a coup and the military does not want to be seen as interfering in civilian politics, but there are still several scenarios under which Zardari could be forced out.