Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ...
on Monday rebuffed the speculation that the government was planning to sack Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani
... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI...
and DG ISI Gen. Shuja Pasha, DawnNews reported.
He thinks doing that will prevent the tanks from rolling. The Pak government is in the rather embarrassing position of having no tanks of its own to counter them if they do.
The reports about army chief and DG ISI were the latest in what has been feverish press speculation about a rift between civilian politicians and the military.
It's been an amusing pie fight to watch...
"As far as the rumours that the government wants to remove the DG-ISI and General Kayani, this impression is simply a fools' talk," Gilani told news hounds in comments broadcast on television.
"Even if we wanted to, we couldn't do it."
"It is wrong to spread such talk. If this was the case, I wouldn't have given them extensions.... I am happy with his (army chief's) work and I want to dispel this impression."
"Otherwise they'll kill us all and replace us with turbans."
The government last year extended Kayani's term of office to 2013, while Pasha's term was extended to March 2012.
The prime mininster was briefing the representatives of electronic media at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad.
Rejecting the speculations in media circles, the prime minister said that he was satisfied with the performances of both military leaders.
"Do I have a choice? It's be satisfied or live in London, dodging assassins."
"Generals are not sacked in a state of war," said the prime minster.
"Unless they're losing the war..."
He said the rumours were spread by few 'opportunists' who were seeking their own political goals.
He clarified that he pointed towards Defence Secretary Khalid Naeem Lodhi and not army chief or DG ISI during his speech in National Assembly when he talked about "state within state." "There is no clash between government and military," he added.
Gilani reiterated that the parliament will complete its constitutional term regardless of him being the prime minster. He suggested that the opponents must adopt a constitutional way to oust him from the rule. "I am not a stubborn child," he added.
The prime minister said that all national institutions were working under the government's ambit.
"We're just arguing over the details of which institutions are actually the government."