Zardari not becoming Pakistan's PM: Presidency

Pakistan's presidency on Tuesday denied any move to change the present setup even as a report in a leading English daily claimed that

there is a serious rift between President Asif Ali Zardari and his handpicked Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Terming as "ridiculous and baseless" reports in Indian media, the presidency in a statement said Zardari does not want to take over Gilani's authority.

However, The News, in a report headlined "All is not well between country's two top offices", said Gilani is running out of patience over the increasing interference of the presidency in the day-to-day running of the government due to which "differences between the top two offices of the country have already cropped up".

And, background interviews with members of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) suggest that Zardari was facing serious problems in running the government according to his "wishes".

The News report, by its Editor (Investigation) Ansar Abbasi, said: "Gilani is in a defiant mood and wants to run the government as the real chief executive."

Quoting unnamed sources, the report said that Gilani had raised "a hue and cry" over British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's joint press conference with Zardari during the former's recent visit to Pakistan. Gilani insisted that the protocol demanded that such a press conference should have been addressed by the two prime ministers.

Sources in PPP said that Gilani, in discussions with his party colleagues, also criticized the presidency for taking a call purpotedly made by Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks. The call turned out to be hoax.