ISLAMABAD (Reuters) ? Pakistan's ambassador to the United States returned to Islamabad Sunday over a memo that appealed to the Pentagon to help the civilian government ward off a coup by the country's powerful military.
Ambassador Husain Haqqani has been focus of a domestic political row over the memo sent in May to Admiral Mike Mullen, then chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The memo sent by Mansoor Ijaz, an American businessman of Pakistani origin, called for U.S. help to ward off a military coup in Pakistan after American forces killed Osama bin Laden in a secret raid in the country in May. Ijaz said Friday he had written the memo at Haqqani's behest.
Haqqani, a close aide to President Asif Ali Zardari, has denied any connection with the memo.
Haqqani arrived in Islamabad early Sunday and is due to meet Zardari and other leaders, a senior government official said without setting a day or time.
Copies of the memo have been published in Pakistan and may exacerbate tensions between the military and weak civilian government.
Though Pakistan has a civilian government, the main foreign and security policies are set by the military which has ruled for more than half of the country's 65 years of independence.
The government has promised a thorough investigation.
(Reporting by Zeeshan Haider; Editing by Ed Lane)
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