Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Zardari feared threats in Pak, hence went to Dubai, says Gilani

December 15, 2011 15:51 IST
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that President Asif Ali Zardari was forced to go to Dubai for medical treatment because of "threats" to his life.

The government and the president's family convinced Zardari to go to Dubai for treatment because there was a risk he would be attacked if he was admitted to a Pakistani hospital, Gilani said while speaking in the senate or upper house of parliament on Wednesday.

"He was ill, he feared life threats in Pakistani hospitals -- that was the reason he did not want to go to any hospital of Pakistan," Gilani said.

"We persuaded him, we convinced him, his family convinced him to go to Dubai," he said.

Zardari, 56, was admitted to the American Hospital in Dubai on December 6 to be treated for a heart condition and was discharged on Wednesday.

Zardari will be spending some more time in Dubai recuperating at his private villa in the emirate.

Gilani had recently referred to threats faced by Zardari's late father when he was admitted to a hospital in Islamabad earlier this year and said the president could have faced similar threats.

Rezaul H Laskar in Islamabad
© Copyright 2024 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.