Mansoor’s visit hinges on army security

By
Hussain
-
21
168

Akram Sheikh, the counsel for Mansoor Ijaz, on Saturday wrote two separate letters to Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq Pakistan and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani regarding security for his client upon his arrival in the country for recording his statement before the “memogate” commission.
Sheikh expressed reservations over the reports that security would be provided by the Interior Ministry. In his letter to the AG, he asked why a contempt of court case should not be filed against him for not complying with court orders of deploying army for Mansoor Ijaz’s security. In his letter to the AG, Sheikh said: “You had also undertaken before the commission that you would communicate the cell number of the Battalion Commander for making arrangement of security of person of Mansoor Ijaz and equipment/evidence which he is bringing along.
That you have not communicated any such number or name to the undersigned until date nor have you communicated the security arrangements so far. To the contrary one Dr Mujeebur Rahman Khan claiming himself to be DIG Security & Counter Terrorism, has called me and informed me that he has been appointed as the focal person to contact me as counsel of Mr Mansoor Ijaz for providing him security. He has further informed me that this decision has been taken in a meeting chaired by your good self attended by secretary interior and secretary defence amongst others. Dr Mujeebur Rahman Khan has further confirmed that there shall be no other focal person for coordination with me on the security of Mr Mansoor Ijaz (his person and the equipment containing forensic evidence). That further Dr Mujeeb had promised to fax me the aforementioned details in writing which he has not done so until the writing of this letter despite passage of considerable time. This turn of events regarding security arrangements was communicated to my client, Mr Mansoor Ijaz, who is not willing to accept the same.” “Last evening, all of a sudden, the same interior minister, within 24 hours of my client having obtained visa for Pakistan, has announced that his ministry is going to be exclusively responsible for the security of my client. The very people from whom my client fears for his life and liberty are now trying to be solely responsible for his foolproof safety”, he said. “Therefore, I am writing to call upon you: a) To immediately advise the Ministry of Interior not to get involved in the security arrangement of my client and to kindly confirm the same to me maximum during the course of the day i.e 21st January 2012. b) To help me ensure that the direction of the Honorable Commission is implemented, in that army personnel are made formally and directly responsible for my client’s personal safety, commencing from the point of his arrival until the point of his departure from Pakistan.
Please note that I need your assurance TODAY, so that I can confirm to my client the exact arrangements that are in place on the ground. It is only after my such confirmation that my client Mansoor Ijaz will finalise his travel arrangements to ensure that he is before the commission on 24th January 2012.”
Sheikh said unless “you assure me that the Ministry of Interior will not be involved with the personal security of my client and unless, either through you or directly, relevant personnel of Pakistan Army, in compliance with the commission’s direction, do not assure me of their logistic arrangement to ensure my client’s personal safety from the point of arrival to the point of departure from Pakistan, I will not be in a position to advise my client to travel to Pakistan to be before the commission on 24th January 2012”.
“And if this happens, the responsibility for my client’s failure to appear before the commission will be on the government, which may prompt me to request the commission to record my client’s statement outside Pakistan, something that is barred neither by law nor by the order of the Supreme Court. I am also sending a copy of this letter to the Chief of General Staff at GHQ, to whom I am also sending a direct request,” the lawyer added.
In the letter to COAS, Sheikh said: “Now that my client Mansoor Ijaz has obtained visa for Pakistan and is finalising his travel arrangements for Pakistan, I call upon you to assure me of your readiness to meet your legal obligation to comply with the direction of Honorable Commission by sharing with me the actual logistical arrangement that you have made on ground to ensure my client’s personal safety from the point of his arrival in Pakistan to you TODAY, that is exactly in accordance with the commission’s direction. Unless army personnel are going to be directly responsible for my client’s personal safety and that logistic arrangements to that end are in place, I will not be in a position to advise my client to travel to Pakistan to be before the commission on 24th January 2012 as his life will be under threat.”

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21 COMMENTS

    • Cannot blame him when you have security guards that will kill the person they are supposed to protect.

    • Mansoor Ijaz is a very important enemy of Pakistan. Battalion is going to be a very small contingent. After all, the whole Army is already pampering him. Why not post a whole Corps for his protection?

  5. Don't worry! We will re-interpret or change the limits of the the constitution to let the work do the Supreme court…

  6. Facts are amply clear . why corrupt PPP is hell bent to scare ijaz mansoor to come to pakistan. any fool can guess why . it is only people like my friends shahid kureshi and aaaaaaahmed Faraz who love to be kicked and plundered and befooled by rascals of PPP.

  12. Mansoor Ijaz will be a fool if he trusts govt for his security . If Kiani didt had strength in his ……… , why did he take PANGA with zardari . If there is is an iota of GHAIRAT in Kiani he must make sure mansoor Ijaz appears before court and goes back . no committee bullshit of Raz Rabbani where people like Zehri will decide the issue. YA ALLAH HAMAIN MUAF KAR AUR NIJAT DAY IN LUTERON SAY.

  16. Mr Mansoor Ijaz can interviewed by the honourable commission through video conference system.

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