Posts Tagged ‘Asif Ali Zardari’

Potential Pakistani Leader has psychiatric problems

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

– Whew.   I really had to stop and take a second look at this one when I found it.  

– I already consider Pakistan extremely problematic with their nuclear weapons and the entire place seemingly on the brink of falling under the control of fundamentalist Islam.

– At least when Musharraf had power, you knew he was allied with the U.S. and against the fundamentalists.   Now he’s gone and we’ve got two new up and coming leaders vying for the top spot.  

– And here we find out that one of them has had recent mental problems.

– Well, that sure makes me feel better – not.

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Doubts cast on Zardari’s mental health

Asif Ali Zardari, the leading contender for the presidency of nuclear-armed Pakistan, was suffering from severe psychiatric problems as recently as last year, according to court documents filed by his doctors.

The widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was diagnosed with a range of serious illnesses including dementia, major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder in a series of medical reports spanning more than two years.

Mr Zardari, the co-chair of the Pakistan People’s party, and its candidate to succeed president Pervez Musharraf, who stepped down last week, spent 11 of the past 20 years in Pakistani prisons fighting corruption allegations, during which he claims to have been tortured.

While Mr Zardari was not available to comment, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan’s high commissioner to London, speaking on his behalf, said he was now fit and well.

News of his medical records came as Nawaz Sharif, head of the junior partner in the government, pulled his party out of the coalition, partly because of differences over Mr Zardari’s presidential candidacy.

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