Yousaf Raza Gilani Softens Criticism of Army and Spy Agency ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - In an apparent thaw between Pakistan's sparring civilian and military elites, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Wednesday softened criticism of senior generals, saying the country could not afford further friction between its most powerful institutions. "I want to dispel the impression that the military leadership acted unconstitutionally or violated rules," Mr. Gilani told reporters before leaving for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. We have to be seen on the same page. The remarks came less than 24 hours after an unusual meeting between Mr. Gilani and the two most senior generals at his Islamabad home, and offered the strongest indication yet that the tensions may be dissipating. Two weeks ago, Pakistan was gripped by rumors of an impending coup. In late December, Mr. Gilani warned that he would not tolerate a military-dominated "state within a state." He later told a Chinese news agency that the army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, and the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, had acted illegally in sending testimony to the Supreme Court as part of a controversy that threatened to topple the government. The military responded on Jan. 13 with a warning of "potentially grievous consequences" if Mr. Gilani did not retract his statement. Combined with a sudden visit by President Asif Ali Zardari to Dubai, the statement triggered a rash of coup rumors. But the president and army chief met in Islamabad four days later, and the tone of the prime minister's statement on Wednesday suggested that a face-saving agreement had been reached. It coincided with progress in a scandal at the heart of the tensions. On Tuesday, Mansoor Ijaz, an American businessman of Pakistani origin, failed to testify as promised before a judicial commission investigating a political scandal known here as Memogate. Mr. Ijaz claimed in a newspaper article in October that he had sent a secret memo to the Obama administration in May on behalf of the Zardari government, seeking American help in restraining Pakistan's military following the American commando operation in which Osama bin Laden was killed. Talking to reporters on Wednesday, Mr. Gilani blamed the misunderstandings between his government and the military on the former defense secretary, Naeem Khalid Lodhi, a former general and corps commander, who was dismissed on Jan. 11 on charges of misconduct.