Pakistan PM Sacks Defense Secretary for 'Misconduct'

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani sacked his defense secretary Wednesday for "gross misconduct" in triggering a row between the army and civilian leadership, a senior government official told Agence France Presse.

"Prime minister has terminated the contract of defense secretary Naeem Khalid Lodhi for gross misconduct," he said. State media said he had been fired "for creating misunderstanding between the state institutions".

The army earlier said the defense ministry had failed to process its submissions made to a Supreme Court inquiry into a controversial unsigned memo that sought U.S. help in curbing the power of the military.

That failure triggered a row between the country's military and civilian leadership, with the prime minister earlier in the week telling Chinese media the army top brass had acted unlawfully in failing to consult it.