Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had stroke, facial paralysis: Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had a "mild" stroke that caused bleeding in the brain and facial paralysis before he was flown to Dubai for treatment, a media report said today.

However, the President was stable and out of danger as the stroke and internal bleeding were not "life threatening", The News daily quoted its sources as saying.

Zardari would require "some treatment, including speech therapy, to resume his normal life", said the report in the daily known for its strident criticism of the President.

Zardari is "likely to be flown to London for detailed treatment", the daily quoted a source as saying.

Zardari "collapsed in the Presidency" on Tuesday because of the stroke, the source claimed after official denials that Zardari had not had a heart attack.

The presidential spokesman had said yesterday that Zardari's condition was stable and that he would undergo more medical tests in Dubai.

The spokesman further said the President had been moved from the intensive care unit to a normal hospital room.

Zardari abruptly travelled to Dubai on Tuesday to undergo tests for what officials have described as a previously diagnosed "cardiovascular condition".

His sudden departure fuelled speculation that he was on the verge of resigning on grounds of "ill health" due to growing pressure on him because of the "Memogate" scandal.