KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamen­tarians chief Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday evening left for Dubai, where he would stay for a few days before proceeding to the United States.

The former president, who returned to the country late last month after spending about 18 months in a self-imposed exile, is likely to reach Washington before Jan 20 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of US president-elect Donald Trump, according to sources.

He is also expected to undergo a medical check-up during his stay in the US.

Surendar Valasai, the spokesman for the media cell at Bilawal House, confirmed that Mr Zardari had left for the UAE, but expressed ignorance about his plans for visiting the US.

The last time Mr Zardari left the country was in June 2015, after he had delivered a hard-hitting speech in which he accused the military establishment of overstepping its domain.

In his speech, he had said that army chiefs “come and go every three years” but the political leadership was here to stay.

“We know the country better and we know how to run its affairs,” he had said. He abruptly left the country soon afterwards.

Meanwhile, the sources said that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari would be leaving for the US in the last week of this month. He would stay in the US for about two weeks.

He is expected to meet officials of the American administration as well as Congress members to exchange views on affairs of mutual interest, according to the sources.

Published in Dawn January 16th, 2017