UK, Pakistan deny report that Gilani fears coup British and Pakistani officials are reacting to a news report The AP report said Gilani asked Britain's High Commission for support Tensions between Pakistan's civilian government and military have heightened Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- UK and Pakistani officials on Friday denied a news report that Pakistan's prime minister contacted the British High Commission in a "panicky" phone call to express fears that a military coup was imminent in his country. In a story published Friday citing anonymous sources, the Associated Press reported that the Prime Minister Yousuf Reza Gilani asked High Commissioner Adam Thomson for "Britain to support his embattled government." Whether Britain took any action was unclear, AP reported. "This is absolutely an incorrect report; the prime minister hasn't spoken to the high commissioner of UK on this subject," Gilani spokesman Akram Shaheedi told CNN Friday. Democratic government led by the prime minister derives its strength from the people of Pakistan -- not from any foreign power. The spokesman for the High Commission also said the call never took place and that the commission asked AP to print a retraction. AP did not immediately respond to calls and e-mails on the issue Friday. The developments came as tensions between Pakistan's civilian government and its all-powerful military continued to widen. Gilani fired his defense secretary Wednesday, a move that spiked tensions. Pakistani media reported that it was for "gross misconduct and illegal action." The move came after Pakistan's military issued a statement warning of "grievous consequences" from a Gilani interview in The People's Daily Online of China. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Supreme Court is investigating a controversial, unsigned memo allegedly drafted by the civilian leadership in which it asked the United States to help rein in the military. Abdul Basit, spokesman for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, told CNN Wednesday that Pakistan did not allow for Tuesday's strike nor has it ever granted such permission to the United States. CNN's Nasir Habib has contributed to this report.