Is Asif Zardari in Islamabad?

The Pakistani capital was abuzz with speculation on the whereabouts of president Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday, with rumours doing the rounds that he had not returned from an official visit to Iran in the wake of the volatile political situation in the country.

Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar sought to squash the rumours, saying Zardari had flown into Islamabad in the early hours and was in the presidential palace.

"The president returned at about 3.30 am and is very much in the presidency," Babar said.

Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit too told a weekly news briefing that Zardari had returned to the country after his visit to Tehran.

However, speculation was rife that the president had not returned to the country and had instead flown from Tehran to Dubai. This was buttressed by lack of footage on TV channels, including state-run PTV, about the president's return to Islamabad after attending a summit of the Economic Cooperation Organisation in Tehran.

There were also reports of a meeting of the 111 Brigade, a Rawalpindi-based key army formation that has in the past played a key role in military coups.

However, the Law and Justice department announced the appointment of seven judges to the Islamabad and Sindh High Courts by the president.

An official message was also issued on behalf of the president to congratulate the ruling Pakistan People's Party leader Farooq Naek on his election as the chairman of the Senate, the upper house of Parliament.