January 07, 2008	Monday	Zilhaj 27, 1428

ISLAMABAD Jan 6: Shaukat Aziz left for London aboard PIA’s flight PK-786 on Sunday on his way to Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Leaving the capital only a month after leaving the office of the prime minister, he is likely to stay with his daughter for a few days before leaving for Davos, where he will address the WEF meeting as a guest speaker.

After eight years in power, Mr Aziz is being blamed for damaging the country’s food security and messing up the national power generation capacity.

The former premier is also expected to fly to Saudi Arabia by the end of January on the invitation of the Saudi government.

He would leave for the United States after his visit to Saudi Arabia, where he is likely to meet his friends and seek a job in an international monetary body, sources close to the former prime minister said. Mr Aziz is likely to stay abroad during the period spanning elections and transfer of power.

Mr Aziz met President Pervez Musharraf for the last time

on Saturday but avoided meeting party leaders like Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Mushahid Hussain, implying he had objections on being denied a party ticket, a move that dashed his hopes of regaining a position of power in the next government.