Zardari shifted to ICU

Former president Asif Ali Zardari on Monday was shifted to an intensive care unit of a private hospital in Clifton as he was reportedly suffering from chest infection and his blood sugar level had fallen to an alarming level.

The PPP co-chairperson’s personal physician Dr Asim Hussian maintained that the former president was not feeling well and a team of health experts was constantly monitoring him and carrying out his medical tests.

On Sunday, Zardari was shifted to a private hospital in Karachi after he fell ill, the party spokesperson said.

“Former President of Pakistan and PPPP @AAliZardari was shifted to hospital after feeling unwell late Sunday evening. Doctors are conducting his medical check-up and necessary medical tests,” a party spokesperson said in a tweet without providing much details.

His son and party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had also expressed concerns over his father’s appearances in the court amid fear of contracting Covid-19.

Meanwhile, a party insider told The Express Tribune that nowadays Zardari had not been actively participating in political affairs of the party and mostly remained at his residence Bilawal House, Karachi.

He said the PPP leadership would decide about the resumption of Zardari’s political activities in light of his physician’s advice.

The ailing former president was released from jail in December last year after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) approved his bail in corruption cases on medical grounds.

He had been suffering from ischemic heart disease, which means his heart may have an inadequate supply of blood and oxygen. He also had severe pain in L5-S1 vertebra of the spinal cord.

An accountability court in Islamabad last month indicted the former president, his sister Faryal Talpur and other accused in the mega money laundering reference pertaining to the fake accounts case.

Zardari is facing multiple corruption cases that had stemmed from a mega money laundering scandal, which came into limelight in 2018.

The former president, Faryal and several of their business associates are being probed as part of a 2015 case regarding fake accounts and fictitious transactions — which were initially found to have totalled Rs35 billion — conducted through 29 ‘benami’ accounts.