Leader may resign

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has traveled to Dubai for medical reasons, fueling speculation in Pakistan that the embattled leader may resign.

Zardari's trip occurred amid growing controversy in Pakistan over a scandal -- dubbed "Memogate" -- in which Pakistan's civilian leaders were supposedly coming up with a plan to unseat the country's military leadership. It also comes as Zardari was to soon address Parliament, where he was expected to discuss Memogate.

Foreign Policy, the American journal, noted that Zardari left "suddenly" and asked if he is "on the way out." Twitter has been abuzz with similar speculation, with one message saying, "Zardari's nice move to resign. A clear way for martial law."

The Memogate scandal has emboldened Zardari's opponents, who think he favors closer ties with the U.S. military.Husain Haqqani, the former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, is accused of writing a memo setting out the scheme. The plot reportedly called for taking power away from the country's senior military and intelligence leaders, requesting U.S. assistance in stopping a military coup, asking for American backing of the Zardari government, and vowing to make Pakistan's foreign policy favorable to the United States.

Haqqani says he didn't write the memo, which allegedly was passed along to U.S. officials by Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz days after a U.S. military raid killed bin Laden in Pakistan in May. Even so, Haqqani resigned last month as Paksitan's ambassador to the U.S.