الرئيسية
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan's president has returned home,
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 early
Monday 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 U.S.
to resign.
Zardari's plane landed at an air base in the southern
port city of Karachi shortly after midnight, said Manzoor Wassan, the
home minister in Sindh province where Karachi is the capital.
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 U.S. help in averting a supposed military coup,
following the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Pakistan's
former ambassador to the U.S., Husain Haqqani, has been accused of
masterminding the memo with Zardari's support.
Both Haqqani and
the president have denied the allegations, but the envoy resigned in the
wake of the scandal. Pakistan's Supreme Court is scheduled to begin a
hearing into the memo scandal on Monday.
Pakistan has also been
rattled by NATO airstrikes on Nov. 26 that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers
at two army posts along the Afghan border.
More than 30,000
Islamists rallied against the U.S. in the eastern city of Lahore on
Sunday, demanding Islamabad cut off ties with Washington. The protest
highlighted the ability of hard-liners to bring their supporters into
the streets, as well as lasting anger over the attack, which has
complicated U.S. efforts to enlist Pakistan's cooperation on the Afghan
war.
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 early
Monday 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 U.S.
to resign.
Zardari's plane landed at an air base in the southern
port city of Karachi shortly after midnight, said Manzoor Wassan, the
home minister in Sindh province where Karachi is the capital.
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 U.S. help in averting a supposed military coup,
following the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Pakistan's
former ambassador to the U.S., Husain Haqqani, has been accused of
masterminding the memo with Zardari's support.
Both Haqqani and
the president have denied the allegations, but the envoy resigned in the
wake of the scandal. Pakistan's Supreme Court is scheduled to begin a
hearing into the memo scandal on Monday.
Pakistan has also been
rattled by NATO airstrikes on Nov. 26 that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers
at two army posts along the Afghan border.
More than 30,000
Islamists rallied against the U.S. in the eastern city of Lahore on
Sunday, demanding Islamabad cut off ties with Washington. The protest
highlighted the ability of hard-liners to bring their supporters into
the streets, as well as lasting anger over the attack, which has
complicated U.S. efforts to enlist Pakistan's cooperation on the Afghan
war.