Islamabad, Dec 15 (DPA) US General David Petraeus dismissed fears that the Pakistani military might stage a coup amid brewing political turmoil, media reports said Tuesday.
“Whenever we have talked to them, they say they are committed to the democratically elected civilian government,” Petraeus was cited as saying by the English-language daily The News.

The chief of the US Central Command, whose area of responsibility extends over Central Asia and the Middle East, made the remarks to a select group of reporters in Islamabad Monday after briefing Pakistani political and military leaders about Washington’s new Afghan strategy.

Patraeus said he did not believe the army had any desire to destabilise the civilian set-up.

The current government, formed in 2008 after nine years of rule by former military strongman Pervez Musharraf, is under fire for alleged corruption and bad governance.

President Asif Ali Zardari, who heads the ruling Pakistan People’s Party, and several of his key allies also face an uncertain future as the Supreme Court is hearing legal challenges to an expired amnesty that cleared them of graft and criminal charges.

The government has announced that it would not defend the controversial law, entitled the National Reconciliation Ordinance.

Some recent media reports have suggested Zardari was in conflict with the army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, and the powerful military spy agency, Inter Services Intelligence.

A state counsel told the court Monday that the government was facing threats of destabilisation. “The danger comes from (the US spy agency) CIA and the GHQ (the Pakistan Army’s nerve centre),” Kamal Asfar said.

But when the court requested written evidence to back up the claim, Asfar said he was merely expressing his personal opinion.

Pakistan has experienced prolonged military rule during more than half of its 62-year existence with irregular stints of elected parliaments.