Pakistani president back after medical care

December 19, 2011|Associated Press

KARACHI - Pakistan’s president returned home early yesterday, nearly two weeks after a surprise trip to Dubai for medical treatment sparked rumors that he might step down under pressure from the country’s powerful military.

President Asif Ali Zardari’s arrival will likely help quell speculation about his future. But officials have not spelled out exactly what was wrong with the president, and he is still under threat from a memo scandal that has upset the army and already forced the Pakistani ambassador to the United States to resign.

The president flew to Dubai on Dec. 6 amid confusion over his medical state and reason for leaving. Officials released a statement by his doctor last week saying Zardari, who has a heart condition, had lost consciousness for several minutes, and was suffering from pain in his arm. One associate has said privately that the president suffered a mini-stroke that had left no lasting affects.

Zardari is under pressure over his alleged connection to a secret memo sent to Washington in May, seeking US help in averting a supposed military coup, following the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, has been accused of masterminding the memo with Zardari’s support.

Both Haqqani, a former Boston University professor, and the president have denied the allegations, but the envoy resigned. Pakistan’s Supreme Court will begin a hearing into the memo scandal today.