No fear of silent military coup in Pakistan: US

Washington: The United States said there are no reasons to believe a “silent military coup” in Pakistan as sparked by some media reports, after President Asif Ali Zardari suddenly left for Dubai to undergo medical treatment. “No concerns, and no reason to believe (of a silent military coup),” the State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, said on Wednesday at his daily news conference when asked about reports in the Pakistani and a section of the US media that Zardari is on his way out.[caption id=“attachment_150626” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The ailing president. Reuters”]  [/caption] “Our belief is that it’s completely health-related,” Toner said referring to the Dubai travel of Zardari at a very short notice. On 6 December, 56-year-old Zardari was admitted to a Dubai hospital following heart complications, triggering intense speculation that he may step down in the face of army pressure over the ‘memogate’ scandal. Zardari’s sudden departure triggered an intense speculation with an American website The Cable—a blog of prestigious US magazine Foreign Policy saying that “it is growing expectations inside the US government that Zardari may be on the way out”. PTI