Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari went to Dubai 'because of threats to his life'

Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's president, went to Dubai for hospital treatment because of threats to his life, according to Yousuf Raza Gilani, the prime minister

Speaking in the Senate, the Prime Minister said that the government and the president's family convinced Mr Zardari to go to Dubai for the treatment because there was a risk he would be attacked if he had treatment in a Pakistani hospital.

"He (President Zardari) was ill, he feared life threats in Pakistan hospitals, that was the reason he did not want to go to any hospital of Pakistan," the prime minister said in his address in the Senate.

Mr Zardari's spokesman earlier said that the president will be discharged from the hospital on Thursday after spending more than a week there but will remain in the Gulf emirate to rest.

The 56-year-old Mr Zardari flew to the United Arab Emirates last Tuesday after falling ill in the midst of a major scandal over alleged attempts by a close aide to seek US help to limit the power of Pakistan's military.

Mr Zardari, who has a long-standing heart condition, was being treated at the American Hospital in Dubai.