Report: Zardari returns to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- President Asif Ali Zardari returned to Pakistan Friday after a brief private trip to Dubai, his spokesman said, as political tensions at home mounted.

Zardari, whose government is locked in a tense situation with the country's powerful military and whose own political future remains in question, had left for Dubai Thursday for what was described as a private trip. It was his second trip to Dubai, following one in December for medical treatment.

Geo News quoted Zardari's spokesman as saying the president returned Friday, apparently after attending a wedding.

Tensions between the military and the government of Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani stem from allegations in a recent memo seeking U.S. help to prevent a military coup in Pakistan. The Zardari government has denied involvement in it but army chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and the country's intelligence chief have asked for a Supreme Court investigation into it.

In addition, Gilani is under threat of dismissal from the high court if he does not reopen old corruption cases against his boss Zardari.

Dawn newspaper reported General Kayani met with his top military commanders Thursday at an unannounced session to deal with the crisis. The report cited sources it did not name as saying the commanders had endorsed Kayani's commitment to democracy.

The military is also upset over Gilani's dismissal of Defense Secretary Naeem Khalid Lodhi, a former general known to be close to Kayani, accused of misconduct. The Dawn report said the dismissal was seen as an attempt by the government to assert control over the military.

Separately, the government announced it will convene a Saturday meeting of the Defense Committee of the Cabinet, which would bring the civilian leaders and army heads face to face during the current impasse, Dawn reported. It was not clear whether the current government would be able to complete its term before new elections in 2013 as some opposition leaders have called for Zardari and Gilani to step down.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the Obama administration backs Pakistan's civilian leaders, the Voice of American reported. She was quoted as saying Washington expects "Pakistan to resolve any of these internal issues in a just and transparent manner that upholds the Pakistan laws and constitution."

The New York Times said the current civilian government-military tensions began to mount after U.S. forces killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in May 2011 after a raid on his compound in Pakistan's Abbottabad that had deeply embarrassed the Pakistani military.

In response to Gilani's recent criticism of the army chief and the intelligence head, the military said it would "serious ramifications with potentially grievous consequences for the country."

Speaking to the Times, some opposition politicians and analysts accused the government of trying to create the current acrimony as a strategy.

"The government has nothing to show to the people and its performance is all marred with corruption and mismanagement," said former Senator Enver Baig.