Hospitalized Pakistani President Says He is Feeling Fine

Posted December 9th, 2011 at 11:25 am (UTC-5)
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Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says he is feeling fine and will return home soon, a few days after his trip to Dubai for treatment of a heart condition spurred rumors of his resignation.

A reporter with Pakistani television station GEO, Hamid Mir, on Friday quoted Mr. Zardari as making those comments, following a phone interview between the two.

Mir also said the president declared that his “enemies” will be “disappointed again.”

Earlier this week, Mr. Zardari's spokesman called reports the president may resign “untrue” and “imaginary.” He said Mr. Zardari's visit to a Dubai hospital was a planned checkup.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's office said Wednesday the president has symptoms related to a pre-existing heart condition.

The president is facing pressure from a memo scandal that led to the resignation last month of Pakistan's ambassador to the United States.

In October, Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz publicly accused former Ambassador Hussain Haqqani of writing an unsigned memo, requesting U.S. aid to prevent a feared military coup in Pakistan. The letter was reportedly sent in May to Admiral Mike Mullen, the top U.S. military official at the time.

In return for U.S. help in preventing a military coup in Pakistan, the memo said a new national security team would conduct a full inquiry into allegations that Pakistan harbored terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. The new team also would hand over top al-Qaida members and ensure that Pakistan's military spy agency cuts ties to the Taliban, the Haqqani terrorist network and other groups.

Haqqani has denied any connection with the memo and was replaced by former Information Minister Sherry Rehman.