Dubai/Washington: Asif Ali Zardari, who is
undergoing treatment in Dubai following heart complications,
is in stable condition but would remain in hospital for few
more days, authorities said, amid assertion by the US that the
embattled Pakistan President`s UAE trip was not political and
there was no sign of a "silent military coup".
Downplaying Zardari`s sudden departure from home, State
Department spokesman Mark Toner, said that the US had no
reason to believe that his trip to Dubai was political.
"Our belief is that it`s completely health-related,"
Toner said at a regular daily briefing in Washington.
Asked about reports in Pakistan and a section of the US
media that Zardari was on his way out, he said: "No concerns,
and no reason to believe" that a silent military coup was in
the offing in Islamabad.
Zardari`s sudden departure to Dubai triggered intense
speculation, with The Cable -- a blog of US magazine `Foreign
Policy` -- saying that there is "growing expectations inside
the US government that Zardari may be on the way out".
56-year-old Zardari was admitted to a Dubai hospital
following heart complications and Pakistan`s Ambassador to the
UAE Jamil Ahmed Khan said investigations done so far are
essentially within normal limits and his condition is stable.
Khan told Khaleej Times that Zardari`s medical tests are
satisfactory, but he would remain in hospital under
observation.
"A routine evaluation of the President`s health is
being carried out at the hospital and he is being checked for
an existing heart condition. He will remain in hospital until
investigations are complete," the Ambassador said.
Gulf News quoted officials as denying reports that
Zardari underwent angioplasty. "Actually the President
underwent an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to check if he
has a blood clot in the brain."
PTI
