This Article is From Jul 15, 2013

Asif Ali Zardari will return to Pakistan at all costs: spokesman

Asif Ali Zardari will return to Pakistan at all costs: spokesman
Islamabad: Scotching rumours that Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari will remain abroad till the end of his term in September, a spokesman on Monday said he would return to the country "at all costs".

Mr Zardari has gone to Dubai, from where he will travel to London on a private visit, presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.

Mr Zardari also will not resign till the completion of his term, he said in a statement.

The presidency issued the statement following rumours and speculation in Islamabad that
Mr Zardari intended to stay abroad till his term ends in about six weeks in order to avoid possible graft charges.

The presidential spokesman further said Mr Zardari will not contest elections for a second term. Mr Zardari was elected for a five-year term in 2008, when his Pakistan People's Party was in power at the centre.

The presidential spokesman further said the government should publish the report of the Abbottabad Commission that probed Osama bin Laden's presence in Pakistan. The report
should be presented in parliament for debate, he said.

The government should implement the recommendations made by the Abbottabad Commission, he added.

The commission submitted its report to the government in January though it is yet to be made public. A draft of the report was recently leaked to Al-Jazeera.
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