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Journalism of Courage
Pakistan’s ruling PPP’s presidential candidate Asif Ali Zardari has shifted residence to the heavily guarded Prime Minister’s House over security fears, officials said on Friday as militants stepped up their campaign against the government in the volatile northwest.
Zardari, who is the co-chairman of PPP moved from his plush residence in the heart of Islamabad, made the move on the advice of his colleagues in the government, according to the Dawn newspaper. Zardari has been living in the Prime Minister’s House for about a week.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani told reporters on Friday that Zardari – who is widely expected to win the September 6 election by lawmakers — was staying at a hilltop mansion in Islamabad’s government quarters “for security reasons.”
He did not elaborate, but an intelligence official said there had been reports that the presidential hopeful could be the target of an attack and that he had switched locations after Musharraf’s August 18 resignation.
PPP presidential candidate had been advised much earlier to move to the Prime Minister’s House but was reluctant to do so. However, after a security breach at his residence, the PPP chief decided to shift to the Prime Minister’s House.
Sources said Zardari planned to stay in the Prime Minister’s House till the presidential election.
