President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday left for a week-long visit to France and the United Kingdom amid widespread criticism from different political and religious parties. President Zardari would spend two days in France, followed by visit to the United Kingdom, where he would address a party gathering and Pakistani community.
The President's decision to visit London invited widespread criticism due to the recent controversial statement of British Prime Minister David Cameron, who labelled Pakistan as an 'exporter of terrorism' during his recent visit to India.
However, despite advices, criticism and suggestions from the chiefs of different political and religious parties, the President preferred to go ahead with his own plan. PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif on Sunday said that it was not the right time for the visit of the President to the United Kingdom as the country "is in a state of emergency" in the wake of the devastating floods across the country.
MQM chief Altaf Hussain, PTI chairman Imran Khan, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, a former Amir of Jammat Islami and PML-Q leadership also termed the visit of the President to UK an inappropriate trip at the time when, on the one hand, the British Prime Minister was issuing anti-Pakistan statements and, on the other, the country was passing through flood and disasters; therefore, expenses of the visit should be converted to the flood-hit masses.
During the course of his visit to the UK , Zardari would address a community meeting in Birmingham on August 7. In his absence from the country, Chairman of Senate, Farooq H Naek will be Acting President.