Washington, Jan 30: In a bid to dispel the media reports claiming that former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari had separated, the couple is likely to attend the White House prayer breakfast together later this week.
Bhutto arrived in New York on Sunday to attend the annual event, which includes a two-day conference at the Washington Hilton.
One of her senior partymen claimed that both Benazir and Asif were staying together. "It is totally baseless. Of course, she is staying with Zardari in New York and they will attend the prayer breakfast together," the Dawn quoted former PPP senator Khawja Akbar as saying while commenting on the press reports claiming that both had separated.
The White House prayer breakfast is also held at the historical hotel where President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded on March 30, 1981 as he came out after addressing a gathering. Since the US Congress hosts the conference, a large number of lawmakers from both Republican and Democratic parties attend the entire proceedings.
This year’s conference is particularly important because of a change in Congress which passed from Republican to Democrats’ control in November’s mid-term elections.
According to Khawja, Bhutto would spend six days in Washington, meeting US lawmakers, government officials, members of the academia and media. Prominent politicians, religious leaders, government officials and scholars come from all over the world to attend the prayer breakfast which President George W Bush is scheduled to address as well.
Bureau Report (ANI inputs)
First Published: Tuesday, January 30, 2007, 00:00