A spokesman for Pakistan's president says the leader has returned from Dubai and is not worried about a political crisis gripping the country. The president returned hours before a crucial special Parliament session to discuss Supreme Court's warning that it could act against the President and Prime Minister for failing to reopen high-profile graft cases.
President Asif Ali Zardari went to Dubai on Thursday for a one-day personal trip. He travelled last month to Dubai for medical reasons, triggering widely reported rumors he was on the verge of resigning.
Tensions between the government and the army have risen in recent days, with some people speculating the Zardari-led government maybe on its way out.
It is facing challenges in the Supreme Court, said to be supported by the powerful army, which has ruled Pakistan for much of its history.
Asked whether Zardari was concerned, his spokesman Farhatullah Babar said on Friday, "Absolutely not. Why should he be?"
His departure to Dubai had triggered widespread speculation about his future as he abruptly travelled to Dubai last month and spent nearly a fortnight there to be treated for a heart condition.
He made the one-day trip to Dubai after matters reached a head in the confrontation between the civilian government and the military over an alleged memo that had sought US help in reining in the army following the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May last year.
{{/usCountry}}He made the one-day trip to Dubai after matters reached a head in the confrontation between the civilian government and the military over an alleged memo that had sought US help in reining in the army following the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May last year.
{{/usCountry}}The government is also facing the heat from the Supreme Court, which recently warned that action could be taken against the President and Prime Minister if authorities did not write a letter to the Swiss government to revive cases of alleged money laundering against Zardari.
(input from agencies)