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Asif Ali Zardari

December 7, 2011 by · Comments Off on Asif Ali Zardari 

Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan’s embattled president, Asif Ali Zardari, is determined to resist pressure to quit, say his close aides, after fevered speculation of his resignation was ignited by his sudden hospitalisation in Dubai.

Zardari was flown out of Pakistan on Tuesday night following what one government adviser, Mustafa Khokhar, described as a “minor heart attack”. His departure triggered speculation and rumours that he was about to step down, under coercion from the military establishment, or even that a coup was in the offing.

The Pakistani president, who has been hounded by the media, courts and the military since he took office in 2008, is under pressure over allegations that he offered Washington a deal to rein in his own military, in return for American support for his government. Zardari is due to address a special sitting of parliament over the issue.

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