Kayani could’ve coup-ed in long march: WikiLeaks

KARACHI: General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani could have overthrown the government if he had wanted to, but he had no such plans, WikiLeaks revealed.

WikiLeaks leaking another US diplomatic wire disclosed a conversation between former US ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson, and Chief of the Army Staff, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, in which the latter expressed unhappiness over a clause in Kerry-Luger-Berman Bill which was about Pakistan Army's autonomy. Gen Kayani according to the leak told the then US ambassador that he could have overthrown the government during the long march --staged for the restoration of judiciary in March 2009-- if he had wanted to, but no such thing was on his mind.

Moreover the same leaked cable also revealed that Kayani had confessed to the huge pressure he was under regarding what to say about the Kerry-Luger-Burman Bill as the corps commanders meeting was around the corner and he had to give them some satisfactory answers. He even had wanted to release a statement about the same, but couldn’t come with anything, the leak added.