Pakistan's PM appeals for support in standoff
ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's prime minister appealed for support Friday from the country's parliament in a standoff between his beleaguered government and the armed forces, saying lawmakers had to choose between "democracy and dictatorship."
Tensions between Pakistan's army and government have soared in recent days over a memo sent to Washington, raising fears that the army might stage a coup or support possible moves by the Supreme Court to oust the government.
The party of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari is the largest in the ruling coalition.
Elections are due in around one year's time, but Zardari aides have said the government will not step down before Senate polls scheduled for March. That vote is carried out by lawmakers and is expected to give Zardari's Pakistan People's Party a majority in the upper house, giving it significant political power for the next six years.
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Tensions between Pakistan's army and government have soared in recent days over a memo sent to Washington, raising fears that the army might stage a coup or support possible moves by the Supreme Court to oust the government.
The party of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari is the largest in the ruling coalition.
Elections are due in around one year's time, but Zardari aides have said the government will not step down before Senate polls scheduled for March. That vote is carried out by lawmakers and is expected to give Zardari's Pakistan People's Party a majority in the upper house, giving it significant political power for the next six years.
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