Islamabad, Dec 25 (IANS): Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has been criticised for raising in parliament the question of the slain Osama bin Laden's presence in the country.

It was not appropriate for the prime minister to talk about martial law and conspiracies against the democratic system, Leader of Opposition Nisar Ali Khan (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) said at a press conference Saturday, adding that Gilani's remarks were "irresponsible", the Daily Times reported.

Khan was referring to Gilani's statement in the National Assembly in which he questioned the army about how Osama remained undetected in the Abbottabad compound for six years.

He also warned the government against taking any step against the army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha prior to the Supreme Court's decision on the memogate scandal.

Pakistan's Supreme Court is hearing the case about a secret memo sent to Washington that claimed President Asif Ali Zardari feared a military coup following the May 2 killing of Osama by US commandos.

Khan urged the government to refrain from taking any step in this regard, otherwise his party and the entire nation would resist it.

He also advised Gilani to retract his statement and avoid pointing fingers at the defence institutions.