President Zardari returns to Pakistan from Dubai trip.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has cut short his Dubai visit and returned to Pakistan on Friday, according to media reports.

The president on Thursday had left on a one-day private visit to Dubai amidst a standoff between the civilian government and the powerful military on the memo scandal.

Zardari's sudden departure had raised speculations about his future due to the impending crisis in Pakistan.

He travelled to Dubai on December 6 and remained there for nearly a fortnight for treatment of a heart condition.

That trip had triggered rampant speculation that Zardari was under pressure from the military to step down. Since then, Zardari has made it clear that he has no intention of quitting as president.

The current political crisis began when Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz made public an alleged memo that sought US help to prevent a military coup after the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May last year.