ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistani defence secretary Naeem Khalid Lodhi, who was sacked by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for "misconduct and unlawful steps he took" in the memo case, Friday said he was dismissed for not signing a government affidavit.
"I was asked to sign an affidavit on behalf of the government which I refused to sign. That's why I was sacked. How could I sign an affidavit which was not mine," Lodhi was quoted as saying by the Online news agency.
"I was dismissed without calling for any explanation or serving show cause notice," he said.
The former defence secretary said he only replied to questions asked by the Supreme Court.
Gilani accused army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha of violating the constitution by submitting illegal replies to the Supreme Court on a memo sent to Washington that said President Asif Ali Zardari had feared a military takeover following the killing of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Pakistan's army later warned that the prime minister's "critical comments" of the military would have "serious ramifications" with "potentially grievous consequences for the country".
Following the comment, Gilani sacked Lodhi Wednesday and asked Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi to take additional charge as defence secretary.