President has a clot in his neck, Awan tells CJ, then backtracks

The government on Friday continued confusing the situation regarding the health of President Asif Ali Zardari, with top PPP leader Dr Babar Awan first saying the president had developed a clot in a veing in his neck, but later backtracked from his comments.
At tea after a full court reference in the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry inquired after the health of the president from Awan, who, putting a finger on his neck, said the president had developed a medical complication due to a clot in his neck.
Before Awan could utter another sentence, the CJ hurriedly said it was a complicated ailment, adding that late Akbar Bugti had developed a similar complication and went to the US for treatment that took a lot of time. The chief justice, however, prayed to Allah for speedy recovery of the president.
Later, a reporter asked Awan if his conversation with the chief justice could be run on the media, to which the PPP lawyer said, “You can do that on your own behalf.”
However, when the news of conversation was aired, Awan rejected it, saying no such conversation had taken place.
He said president had been shifted from the ICU of the hospital to a VIP room and all medical test results had been declared normal by doctors.
About eight to 10 lawyers and five media persons were present when the actual conversation between Awan and the CJ took place.
Rehman Malik forced to dismiss coup rumours: Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rehman Malik was on Friday forced to dismiss rumours that a coup could overthrow the government, saying that unnamed “people” would foil any attempt to dislodge the president.
Malik spoke to reporters outside parliament amid a frenzy of speculation over the health of President Asif Ali Zardari, who has been in a Dubai hospital for three days with a heart condition.
Zardari faces a major scandal over what extent he may have been involved in alleged attempts by his ambassador to Washington — since forced to resign — to seek US help to limit the power of Pakistan’s powerful military. “We understand that the people have given us a mandate for five years through elections and votes, and if someone tried to do something to the government, people would foil such attempts,” Malik said. “The situation is not as complex as you are viewing it,” he said in response to a journalist who said the crisis facing the government was serious.