Pakistan Civilian, Army Leaders Rally Support After Power Tussle Escalates

Pakistan’s parliament, summoned by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani as he seeks support amid a power struggle with the military, will limit today’s special session to offering prayers for a lawmaker who died this week, according to its website.

The ruling coalition convened the emergency sitting of the National Assembly after the Supreme Court warned Jan. 10 that it may charge Gilani with contempt for his government’s failure to pursue corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari and other officials.

In a separate development, Gilani and army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani clashed yesterday over a Supreme Court probe into a purported government memo seeking U.S. help to prevent a possible military coup.

Gilani had been expected to ask for lawmakers’ support as the two cases raised tensions between civilian and military leaders to their highest level since the end of army rule in 2008.

-- Editor: Mark Williams

To contact the reporters on this story: Haris Anwar in Islamabad at hanwar2@bloomberg.net; James Rupert in New Delhi at jrupert3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Peter Hirschberg at phirschberg@bloomberg.net