Gilani weighs options in case Haqqani is to be sacrificed

With the situation evolving fast vis-à-vis Ambassador Hussain Haqqani in the backdrop of the memo scandal, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and his close aides are making deliberations for taking damage control measures and to clear the air between the government and the military regarding the issue which has shattered the civilian government for the first time since the PPP took power after 2008 election.
A source privy to the developments told Pakistan Today that the prime minister was mulling options to handle the situation and it was likely that Ambassador Haqqani would be asked to tender resignation to avoid any investigation into the memo episode. Haqqani has already offered to resign, but President Asif Ali Zardari is reluctant to fire his close associate and confidant, who is considered his official intermediary between him and the US State Department.
The source said that in case of Haqqani’s resignation, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir might be appointed ambassador to the US, while Bashir may be replaced by Ambassador to European Union Syed Jalil Abbas Jilani. “However, Prime Minister Gilani is still weighing options and Jilani may be appointed the new ambassador to Washington, but a final decision would be taken after consultation with President Asif Ali Zardari, who is still backing Ambassador Haqqani,” the source added. The source said the situation would be clear once Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani spoke his mind after interviewing Haqqani, who has allegedly played a key role in the preparation of the memo written by Mansoor Ijaz. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Ambassador to European Union Jalil Abbas Jilani called on Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in Lahore on Saturday evening and discussed with him some important matters.
An official handout stated that the ambassador informed the premier that provision of tariff concession on 75 items and subsequent provision of GSP Plus facility by the European Union would help revive the Pakistani economy, create jobs and ensure investment in the country. The prime minister said the European Union was an important forum and appreciated its continued support for Pakistan’s contributions in the war against terror. EU’s generous assistance of more than 300 million euros for the flood-affected people was instrumental for their early rehabilitation, he added.
The prime minister directed the ambassador to interact with the civil society and the people of policy making level to apprise the sacrifices Pakistani people had rendered in the war against terror, besides suffering huge losses to the economy. Gilani directed the ambassador to let the people of European Union know that human rights situation in Pakistan was much better and there was no political prisoner in the country. The ambassador said he would undertake his diplomatic responsibility in the light of instructions of the prime minister to project the soft image of the country. He said that in the dawn of democracy, the European Union had upgraded its relations with Pakistan at the summit level and Pakistan was one of the few countries which enjoyed the status.