Pakistan's prime minister has told lawmakers they must choose between democracy or a dictatorship, amid growing tensions between Pakistan's civilian government and the military.
Yousuf Raza Gilani addressed the National Assembly Friday. He told lawmakers democracy must survive, regardless of the outcome of an investigation concerning a controversial unsigned memo that sought U.S. help in curbing the army's power.
One of President Asif Ali Zardari's allies introduced a resolution in parliament to build support for democracy. The measure will be debated Monday.
Prime Minister Gilani said the resolution is not against any institution, including the judiciary or the army. Instead, he said the measure supports the democratic process and the continuity of the parliamentary system in Pakistan.
The crisis between the government and military stems from an unsigned memo that allegedly sought U.S. help to prevent a military coup in Pakistan.
A Supreme Court-appointed panel is investigating the origins of the unsigned memo, in which Pakistan's civilian government asked for U.S. help in reining in the Pakistani military, following the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden last May.
The existence of the memo surfaced in October when Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz accused the then-Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S., Husain Haqqani, of writing the memo. Haqqani denies he wrote the document and has since resigned.
Also Friday, President Zardari returned to Islamabad after a one-day trip to Dubai.
The president's trip came as army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani met with top commanders on Thursday. Officials said the senior military officers discussed the “prevailing situation,” referring to the memo scandal.
Authorities said Mr. Zardari's trip to the United Arab Emirates was not linked to the current crisis in Pakistan. They said he attended a wedding in Dubai.
The army has ruled Pakistan for must of its existence since independence from Britain in 1947. There have been three military coups in Pakistan, and no civilian government has ever completed its term in office.
Analysts say General Kayani does not want a coup but that generals would not object to President Zardari being dismissed through constitutional means.
