International   

Not a banana republic, says Musharraf

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has termed rumours of a coup in Pakistan as "nonsense."

Speaking in the U.S., where he is on an official visit, he said, "Pakistan is not a banana republic and rumours about overthrowing of Pakistan Government is a nonsense, total nonsense. Such changes do not necessarily require a power breakdown," he said.

Denies media report

The rumours were partially fuelled by reports that he had gone to hospital. Gen. Musharraf refuted rumours about the state of his health and said he had undergone "a mild check-up."

Newspapers reported that the rumours about his health began when he made an unannounced visit to a small town called Paris in Texas, where he visited a family friend who is a cardiologist and underwent a routine medical check-up in a hospital. A statement from the hospital said he was "in excellent health."

Meanwhile, Pakistan said on Monday that reports of Taliban leader Mullah Omar giving the go-ahead to the Government's agreement with tribals in Waziristan were "baseless".

"It is absolutely baseless," said Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam, responding to a report in the British press that the Taliban's spiritual head had written a letter explicitly endorsing the agreement reached between Pakistan and the Waziristan tribals earlier this month.

Death sentences upheld

PTI reports:

The Pakistan Supreme Court on Monday upheld the death sentences handed down to 12 military men and civilians for their role in the assassination attempt on Gen. Musharraf three years ago.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court upheld the death sentences awarded by military courts. The Lahore High Court had earlier rejected appeals by the convicts arguing that it has no jurisdiction to hear the case already decided by military court.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

70 Tigers killed in major battle: Navy
Not a banana republic, says Musharraf
CIA paid Pakistan for Al-Qaeda men
Confucius' statue sparks debate
Abe allies in top slots
Woman official killed
No survivor in crash
Indiscretion or publicity coup?
Indian student killed in St. Petersburg

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu