An official in Islamabad and a British official say Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani made a telephone call to the top British diplomat in the country this week, expressing fears that the Pakistani army might be about to stage a coup.

The officials said Friday that Yousuf Raza Gilani asked High Commissioner Adam Thomson for Britain to support his embattled government.

The officials didn't give their names because of the sensitivity of the issue.