Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari complained of physical discomfort and was perspiring heavily earlier this week, prompting his son, Bilawal, to urge him to fly to Dubai for a medical check-up, according to a member of the Pakistan's ruling party close to the president.
Mr. Zardari's son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party alongside his father, was concerned the president was suffering a second heart attack. His son was nervous because Mr. Zardari had suffered a major heart attack in 2005 soon after being released from prison in Pakistan, where he was being held on corruption charges.
On Tuesday, Mr. Zardari flew to Dubai for medical tests, accompanied by a small number of staff and his personal doctor. A spokesperson for Mr. Zardari declined to comment.
Hi absence from Pakistan has created a wave of speculation in Pakistan that Mr. Zardari was attempting to leave the country at a time of rising political difficulties for the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, caused by claims from its opponents it is corrupt and too close to Washington. Some reports said Mr. Zardari was on the verge of resignation.
The person close to Mr. Zardari said the reasons for the trip were only medical. Many rich Pakistanis travel overseas for medical assistance.
The results of the tests so far have shown that Mr. Zardari did not have a second heart attack, the person said. Doctors still have to determine whether the symptoms—heavy perspiration and physical pain—were related to medication he has taken since his 2005 heart attack or were in some way linked to his previous heart problem.
Tests to discern this have so far been "inconclusive," the person said, adding that Mr. Zardari is expected to be in Dubai for about a week.
In Pakistan, health issues of leaders are often not made public because of the possibility they could be used by political opposition against them, the person said. Mr. Zardari concealed his 2005 heart attack, describing it as a "muscle pain," the person added.
Mr. Zardari will face tough questions on his return to Pakistan amid anger over a North Atlantic Treaty Organization airstrike last month that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on the border with Afghanistan, the largest death toll in a friendly-fire incident since the start of the conflict in Afghanistan a decade ago.
The president plans to call a special joint session of Parliament later this month to discuss responses to the incident. So far, Pakistan has closed down NATO supply routes through Pakistan and ejected the U.S. from a Pakistani airbase.
Political opposition to Mr. Zardari say he's too close to the U.S. and is calling for a downgrading of U.S.-Pakistan relations, including less reliance on U.S. military and civilian aid. Still, most observers say Pakistan needs U.S. money and Washington is keen for Islamabad's cooperation to help end the war in Afghanistan.
Mr. Zardari's son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party alongside his father, was concerned the president was suffering a second heart attack. His son was nervous because Mr. Zardari had suffered a major heart attack in 2005 soon after being released from prison in Pakistan, where he was being held on corruption charges.
On Tuesday, Mr. Zardari flew to Dubai for medical tests, accompanied by a small number of staff and his personal doctor. A spokesperson for Mr. Zardari declined to comment.
Hi absence from Pakistan has created a wave of speculation in Pakistan that Mr. Zardari was attempting to leave the country at a time of rising political difficulties for the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, caused by claims from its opponents it is corrupt and too close to Washington. Some reports said Mr. Zardari was on the verge of resignation.
The person close to Mr. Zardari said the reasons for the trip were only medical. Many rich Pakistanis travel overseas for medical assistance.
The results of the tests so far have shown that Mr. Zardari did not have a second heart attack, the person said. Doctors still have to determine whether the symptoms—heavy perspiration and physical pain—were related to medication he has taken since his 2005 heart attack or were in some way linked to his previous heart problem.
Tests to discern this have so far been "inconclusive," the person said, adding that Mr. Zardari is expected to be in Dubai for about a week.
In Pakistan, health issues of leaders are often not made public because of the possibility they could be used by political opposition against them, the person said. Mr. Zardari concealed his 2005 heart attack, describing it as a "muscle pain," the person added.
Mr. Zardari will face tough questions on his return to Pakistan amid anger over a North Atlantic Treaty Organization airstrike last month that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on the border with Afghanistan, the largest death toll in a friendly-fire incident since the start of the conflict in Afghanistan a decade ago.
The president plans to call a special joint session of Parliament later this month to discuss responses to the incident. So far, Pakistan has closed down NATO supply routes through Pakistan and ejected the U.S. from a Pakistani airbase.
Political opposition to Mr. Zardari say he's too close to the U.S. and is calling for a downgrading of U.S.-Pakistan relations, including less reliance on U.S. military and civilian aid. Still, most observers say Pakistan needs U.S. money and Washington is keen for Islamabad's cooperation to help end the war in Afghanistan.