No control over army and ISI, admits Pakistan government

The Ministry of Defence Wednesday conceded that it has no operational control over the armed forces as well as the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), reported the daily Dawn.

The Supreme Court is hearing the case about a secret memo sent to Washington that claimed President Asif Ali Zardari feared a military coup following the May 2 killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in the Abbottabad town by US Marine commandos.

The defence ministry's one-page reply said it was not in a position to submit any reply on behalf of the armed forces and the ISI.

Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz had revealed about the secret memo, leading to the resignation of Pakistan's ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani. Former minister Sherry Rehman was appointed the new US envoy.