Pakistani info minister withdraws resignation
Source: Agencies |
December 26, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
PAKISTAN'S information minister withdrew her resignation yesterday, hours after she offered to quit amid tensions between the civilian government and the country's powerful military over a memo alleging an army plot to seize power in May.
Information Minister Firdos Ashiq Awan made the surprise announcement at a televised cabinet meeting but Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani later persuaded her to withdraw the resignation.
"The prime minister tore down my resignation and asked me to continue my work," Awan said.
Some media reports suggested that Awan offered to resign over criticism within the ruling party over her perceived failure to defend the government in the "memogate" scandal, as it is being called in Pakistan.
Tensions have been running high between the government and the powerful army after the scandal surfaced, raising concerns for the region and for Pakistan's already uneasy relationship with its key ally, the United States.
Mansoor Ijaz, an American businessman of Pakistan origin, wrote in a column in the Financial Times on October 10 that a senior Pakistani diplomat had asked that a memo be delivered to the Pentagon with a plea for US help to stave off a military coup in the days after the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May.
Ijaz later identified the diplomat as Pakistan's ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, who denied involvement but later resigned.
Information Minister Firdos Ashiq Awan made the surprise announcement at a televised cabinet meeting but Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani later persuaded her to withdraw the resignation.
"The prime minister tore down my resignation and asked me to continue my work," Awan said.
Some media reports suggested that Awan offered to resign over criticism within the ruling party over her perceived failure to defend the government in the "memogate" scandal, as it is being called in Pakistan.
Tensions have been running high between the government and the powerful army after the scandal surfaced, raising concerns for the region and for Pakistan's already uneasy relationship with its key ally, the United States.
Mansoor Ijaz, an American businessman of Pakistan origin, wrote in a column in the Financial Times on October 10 that a senior Pakistani diplomat had asked that a memo be delivered to the Pentagon with a plea for US help to stave off a military coup in the days after the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May.
Ijaz later identified the diplomat as Pakistan's ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, who denied involvement but later resigned.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
