NEW YORK: The New York Times said on Monday that President Asif Ali Zardari may have come back to Pakistan only for a “cameo appearance” for the death anniversary (Dec 27) of Benazir Bhutto and “then go on permanently to London or Dubai”.

In a report on the political situation in Pakistan, the Times quoted some Pakistani and western officials as saying that Mr Zardari’s return could be only for a cameo appearance before Dec 27, the fourth death anniversary of Ms Bhutto.

“After that, Mr Zardari will probably leave for a long — perhaps permanent — convalescence in London or Dubai, the officials said. By early Monday, neither Mr Zardari nor his aides had signalled how long he would stay,” the NYT said.

The newspaper noted “pushed by the army, a Supreme Court hearing will investigate whether Mr Zardari’s government was behind an unsigned memorandum that surfaced in October, purportedly asking the Obama administration’s help to curb the military’s influence and avert a possible coup in the wake of the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May”.