M A I N   N E W S

Pak govt, army spar over secret memo
Zardari meets Kayani twice in two days
Pak envoy to US Husain Haqqani offers to resign
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

Amid reports of rising tension between the military and PPP-led civilian government over secret communications with the US in May, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has met powerful army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani twice in two days, even as Pakistan's envoy to the US Husain Haqqani offered to resign on Thursday.

"I've been consistently vilified as being against the Pakistani military even though I have only opposed military intervention in political affairs," Haqqani said.

"It's not easy to operate under the shadow of innuendo and I have not been named by anyone so far, but I am offering to resign in the national interest and leave that to the will of the President," he added.

A controversial memo was purportedly written on behalf of President Zardari to former US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen following the Abbotabad raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Zardari had "sought" American help against the military’s "conspiracies" to destabilise the government.

While Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was present in Wednesday's meeting, Zardari and Kayani had a one-on-one meeting on Tuesday. Media reports said Kayani had insisted that the government clear its position on the memo and remove Haqqani, if allegation against him were proved.

US business tycoon Mansoor Ejaz had in an article in the Financial Times, London, said that a senior Pakistani diplomat had dictated the memo to him and he had further handed it over to Mullen. Though Ejaz did not name the diplomat, it was widely believed that he was referring to Pakistan’s Ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani.

While the Presidency and the Foreign Office say they did not approve such a communication, Mullen’s spokesman confirmed the admiral had received the memo, but said it did not impact his relations with Kayani.

Haqqani denied dictating the memo, but confirmed that he offered to resign after he was summoned to Islamabad. Gilani had announced in the National Assembly last night that Haqqani has been called to Islamabad to clear the air.

It is learnt that Kayani is insistent on Haqqani's removal and even showed evidence to substantiate allegations against him. Haqqani has been at odds with the army in the past, particularly after the passage by US Congress of the Kerry-Lugar Bill, which laid down conditions to bring the army under civilian control.