Former President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, sustained a foot fracture while disembarking from a plane upon his arrival at Dubai Airport on Wednesday night. A spokesperson from the President House reported that Zardari was immediately taken to a hospital, where doctors examined him and applied a plaster cast. He has been advised to rest for four weeks and has since been transferred to his residence for recovery.
Following the incident, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman reached out to Zardari’s son, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, to inquire about the former president’s health and extended his best wishes for a swift recovery.
Due to this injury, President Zardari has postponed his planned four-day diplomatic visit to China, initially scheduled for November 4-7. The visit was expected to include talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on key issues, including Phase 2 of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and discussions on bilateral, regional, and global security matters. Zardari was also set to attend the Shanghai World Expo on November 5. Diplomatic sources suggest that Zardari may reschedule the trip for later in the month.