Doubts over Zardari’s mental health

Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of Benazir Bhutto and the man tipped to become President of Pakistan, has been diagnosed with crippling depression, leading to accusations by rivals that he is not fit for office. Zadari's lawyers presented the diagnoses, made by two New York psychiatrists last year, to the High Court in London in an attempt to delay a lawsuit by the Pakistani Government over corruption charges.

Zardari, who chairs the Pakistan People’s Party jointly with his 19-year-old son Bilal, experienced dementia, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Zardari's doctors claim he was left with severe "emotional instability, memory loss and concentration problems" after spending 11 years in Pakistani prisons fighting corruption charges. However Wajid Shamsul Hasan, a long-time friend of Zardari's and Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK, said Zardari had made a full recovery and had "sailed through" recent medical tests.

"The report has been quoted out of context. The report refers to something three years old. He is fit and well. He was jogging around the Prime Minister's House just a moment ago."