President Asif Ali Zardari flew to Dubai for a brief scheduled visit on Thursday and will return on Friday (today). A close aide to the president told AFP that Zardari had gone to Dubai for a wedding “and may also have (a) routine medical check-up”.
“He will return tomorrow (Friday),” the aide said, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media. Gulf-based sources also confirmed that Zardari made the trip to Dubai, where he maintains a home, for a medical check-up. However, no official explanation was available.
Zardari, who has a long-standing heart condition, spent more than a week in a Dubai hospital for treatment last month in a trip which triggered a frenzy of speculation and coup rumours.
The aide said the latest trip was a “private visit” and not linked to the crisis which erupted on Wednesday.
The one-day trip comes after the army warned of “grievous consequences for the country” after accusations by the prime minister in Chinese media that the army and intelligence chiefs had failed to make submissions to the court through proper government channels. The warning was followed by the immediate sacking of the defence secretary by the prime minister. WIRES
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2012.
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