Gilani'scriticisms 'divisive'

Pakistan's army chief is furious with the prime minister for statements criticising the army and has demanded that they be clarified or withdrawn, a senior military source told Reuters yesterday.
"The army chief complained to the president about the prime minister's statements, and said they needed to be either clarified or withdrawn," the source told Reuters.
"He said such statements were divisive and made the country more vulnerable."
That tension has raised fears for the stability of the nuclear-armed country and exposed a struggle between the government and the military, which has ousted three civilian governments in coups since independence in 1947 and has ruled the nation for more than half of its history.
There are no signs yet that a coup is being seriously considered, however, reflecting the changed political calculations in Pakistan since civilians took power in 2008.
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani this week criticised army for filing court papers in a case involving a mysterious memo that has pitted the military against the civilian government.
In an interview with Chinese media, Gilani said the filings were "unconstitutional," infuriating the military's high command, who issued a stern press release.
Gilani further infuriated the army on Wednesday by sacking the defence secretary, retired Lieutenant General Naeem Khalid Lodhi, for "gross misconduct and illegal action which created misunderstanding" between institutions.
As angry as Kayani is, the source said, the council of senior military commanders is even more angry, the source said.
"There is a lot of pressure by the main corps commanders on the army chief regarding the statements of the prime minister." the source said.