Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, who suddenly left Islamabad for Dubai reportedly to undergo some regular medical tests, is said to be on his way out, apparently under pressure from the powerful army.
Quoting unnamed officials from the Obama administration, The Cable blog of Foreign Policy magazine said that growing expectations inside the US government are that Zardari may be on the way out.
A former US official told the Cable that parts of the US government were informed that 56-year-old Zardari had a "minor heart attack" on Monday night and flew to Dubai via air ambulance.
He may have angioplasty today and may also resign on account of "ill-health", said the blog, which has been filing a series of stories on Pakistan related to memogate.
Zardari's trip comes as he has come under pressure over a scandal that has forced the Pakistani ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani to resign.
The scandal centers on a memo sent to a top American official in May asking for help in reining in Pakistan's military, following the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
The Pakistani president had been feeling increased pressure over the 'Memogate' scandal. "The noose was getting tighter -- it was only a matter of time," the former US official was quoted as saying by the Cable, expressing the growing expectation inside the US government that Zardari may be on the way out.
The report posted on the website further claimed that Zardari was "incoherent" during his telephonic conversation with President Barack Obama which took place over the weekend regarding the NATO airstrike.
