"President Zardari sedated and taken to hospital in Abu Dhabi. He will go to London asap. Farahnaz Ispahani with him but not HH (Husain Haqqani)," well-known Pakistani publisher and editor Najam Sethi tweeted around 4 pm Tuesday Washington DC time.
Sethi, 63, who is now in the Washington DC area along with his wife Jugnu Mohsin, then corrected his tweet and said, "AZ (Asif Zardari) in Dubai hospital." Abu Dhabi and Dubai are two states of the United Arab Emirates.
Farahnaz Ispahani, wife of Husain Haqqani, who was a journalist and had worked at the State Department-run Voice of America before joining Pakistan's murky politics, is said to be accompanying Zardari.
Zardari appears to have gone to Dubai, a smugglers' paradise turned into finiancial laundromat for corrupt Pakistan politicians, to seek the support of the super-rich Emirates sheikhs who have been bank-rolling Pakistan for many decades now and act as referees in Pakistan's internal conflicts.
Haqqani, the former ambassador to the United States, was booted out by the generals for trying to curtail their links with al Qaeda and Taliban by allegedly authoring a memo to former Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen.
Both Zardari and Haqqani are facing mental torture and threats from the army generals for their alleged betrayal of Pakistan's "national interests." Zardari had allegedly faced torture in May 1999 as well when cuts were said to be inflicted on his tongue while he was in prison..
"There are rumours that he is going to resign citing health issues," Sheikh Asad Rahman, director programs at the Sungi Development Foundation, told this correspondent on phone from Islamabad. "It was very sudden and no indications were given. [I] Suspect that the SC (Supreme Court) cases and army have put pressure for his exit, if it happens," Rahman added.
American businessmen of Pakistan origin Mansoor Ijaz exposed the memo, even though he was a party to it, by writing an article in the Finanical Times that catalyzed a crisis in Pakistan. His second charge Saturdaythat Zardari and Haqqani had advance knowledge about the Navy SEALs attack that killed bin Laden fell flat on Ijaz face as the White House on Saturday rejected it.
The rumor mills were working overtime in Pakistan over the real intent of Ijaz, one journalist attributing his actions to unpaid monies for his lobbying efforts while a Pakistan television channel ran news tickers that he is an Ahmadi, a persecuted minority.
In emails and a phone talk from London Wednesday Ijaz categorically denies he is a lobbying mercenary or Ahmadi, but for reasons best known to him does not want any attribution.
Sethi was embarrased by the faux pass of mixing up Dubai with Abu Dhabi in spite of being a veteran journalist.
"I have clarified that I meant Dubai instead of Abu Dhabi. But I still think London may be his next stop," Sethi said around 7.15 p.m. Washington DC time.
Sethi is one of the main brains behind the Zardari-led democratic government of Pakistan. However, Pakistani generals treat Pakistan constitution as toilet paper and have directly ruled over Pakistan for half of its existence since independence from Britain in four military dictatorships.
Both Sethi and Mohsin were present at the Brookings Institution Monday where former C.I.A. career agent-turned -academic Bruce Riedel announced that Pakistan is in the throes of a fifth military dictatorship.
Ispahani tweeted, "Beautiful marsia recited by Madam Noor Jehan." Marcia is a poem on the death of someone heroic or beautiful and the timing of the Ispahani's tweet clearly conveyed a message the civilian government was in grave danger.
Haqqani tweeted from Pakistan around noon Washington DC time that “I still don't know what the charges are, except media innuendo and claims.”
©Mustikhan Syndicated News Service
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