The federal government on Monday assured the Lahore High Court that former Pakistani ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani would not leave the country before the completion of inquiry into the memo scandal.
Two deputy attorney generals (DAGs) appeared before the court as Justice Umar Ata Bandial admitted for regular the petition seeking for directions to federal government to place Haqqani’s name on the Exit-Control List (ECL) and initiate high treason proceedings against him on charges of violating the constitution.
The law officers of the federal government also informed the court that the investigation in the memo scandal would be carried out under the supervision of Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) chairman Senator Raza Rabbani. The judge directed the law officers to submit their written replies and adjourned the hearing until December 9. The judge ordered the petitioner, Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafree, to include the names of interior and foreign secretaries as they might have more relevant information about the memo scandal.
A citizen Iftikhar Rajpoot thorough his counsel Jafree had filed the petition and made parties to Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Nisar Ali Khan, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Attorney General of Pakistan Maulvi Anwarul Haq in the petition.
He said Haqqani sent a derogatory letter to former US military chief Mike Mullen through a US-based Pakistani businessman Mansoor Ijaz against the Pakistan Army and the ISI.
By doing this, he said Haqqani tarnished the image of both Pakistan and its armed forces and made an attempt to pledge Pakistan’s sovereignty to the US. He said Haqqani was holding dual nationality.
Later, Haqqani changed party and joined the “Zardari group” and got the lucrative post of Pakistan’s ambassador to the US.
Lahore Bar Association (LBA) President Shahzad Hassan Sheikh on Monday demanded the government declare the US “the most un-favoured nation” after NATO’s brutal attack on two army checkposts in Mohmand Agency.
Addressing a press conference, Sheikh said if the federal government could decide to declare India “the most favoured nation” it could also declare the US its biggest enemy with a permanent ban on NATO supply.
He announced that the LBA would organise a protest rally on December 1 against the NATO attack.
He said parliament had passed a unanimous resolution refraining America from violating the integrity of Pakistan but that was without the backing of any power or confidence necessary for the resolution implemented. “Taking advantages of the situation, the US is free to act on his own without any hurdle.”
