Army Chief is furious with prime minister for statements criticising Army

And he wants that they should be either clarified or withdrawn, a senior military source told Reuters on Saturday.

"The army chief complained to the president about the prime minister s statements, and said they needed to be either clarified or withdrawn," the source told Reuters.

"He said such statements were divisive and made the country more vulnerable."

Earlier, President Zardari met Army Chief amid a civilian-military standoff that is shaking the government, a spokesman said.

"Chief of the army staff General Ashfaq Kayani called on President Zardari in his office today," the president s spokesman Farhatullah Babar told AFP.

He gave few details about the unscheduled meeting beyond that, saying the "current security situation came under discussion". --Agencies