Islamabad: Rumour mills in the Pakistani capital on Monday went into an overdrive about President Pervez Musharraf being replaced by his deputy, sparking a flurry of denials by the military ruler himself and several top government spokesmen.
The rumours gained currency in the afternoon and caused consternation in the highest circles of the government, which was grappling with protests by lawyers across the country against the emergency imposed by Gen Musharraf on Saturday.
The rumours, apparently spread through calls to media organisations in several cities, said Gen Musharraf had been removed in a coup by Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani, a trusted aide whom he recently appointed the Vice Chief of the Army and designated as his successor.
It was also claimed that the military ruler had been placed under house arrest by generals, who were unhappy at the proclamation of Emergency.
The rumours were quickly dismissed by Musharraf's spokesman Maj Gen (retired) Rashid Qureshi, military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad and Minister of State for Information Tariq Azeem.
Gen Musharraf too reacted, telling a news agency that it was "a joke of the highest order". He spoke after meeting nearly 90 diplomats at the Aiwan-e-Sadr or presidency to explain the reasons behind his decision to suspend the Constitution and sack Pakistan's Chief Justice.
"It's nonsense, a sheer baseless rumour," the President's spokesman, Rashid Qureshi, said.
"It's a complete hoax, totally baseless and malicious. People will treat it with the total contempt it deserves," said Minister of State Azeem.
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