Pakistan tries to allay fears of military coup

Pakistan on Wednesday ruled out the danger of a military coup in the wake of the Lahore terror attack and the political instability in the country following the poll bar against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother.

“Reports appearing in the media (about the possibility of a military coup) are not credible,” Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told a news channel.

Noting “there is an elected and stable government in place” in Pakistan, Basit added: “The media is free to say what they want. I can’t stop them.”

Reports in several western media outlets spoke of the possibility of Pakistan Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani staging a coup given the worsening political and security scenario.

“If Kayani and his fellow generals felt obliged to step in “for the good of the country’, then Washington is more concerned about defeating the Taliban and al-Qaeda than preserving a democratic system that daily appears to be more and more of a travesty of itself. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time,” the Guardian said in an article headlined “Who will save Pakistan?”

“The Pakistani state is facing a crisis of competence and capability,” The Australian said.

The article was headlined “Bad day all round for the values of civilisation” in a reference to Tuesday’s terror strike against the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.

The attack prompted the Sri Lankan government to abruptly call off the team's tour of Pakistan and immediately flew the squad home.