Holding former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani “in disobedience of the tribunal’s order and his own affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court”, the memo commission on Friday directed the ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs to ensure his presence on April 12 (Thursday) at the Islamabad High Court for recording statement in the memo scandal.
The commission still ‘expressed great restraint’ and did not avail the four options available with it that included issuance of his warrants for arrest, attachment of his property in Pakistan, initiation of contempt of court proceedings and criminal proceedings for disobeying the commission’s orders. The commission earlier, provided Haqqani a number of opportunities to appear before the commission but he declined to come to Pakistan first due to security reasons and then on medical grounds.
The commission ordered Haqqani to be present on the next date of hearing with his two Blackberry handsets that were in his use during his tenure as ambassador in the US and later went missing. A notice in this regard will be served at his house in the USA through Pakistan’s embassy in Washington, the commission ordered.
Earlier, when Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq did not take a clear stance on the procedure to bring Haqqani back to Pakistan, chairman of the commission, Justice Qazi Faez Isa remarked: “What impression would the world get when the government of Pakistan is unable to bring its former ambassador to the country. What credibility it would have when it cannot produce its former ambassador for recording the statement before the commission. It is a complete insult of the authority of the government of Pakistan”. Director General (Americas) of the Foreign Office (FO), Sohail Khan, told the commission that the former ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, visited London in the first week of May last year without getting formal permission from the authorities concerned, as no record in this regard was available with the Pakistan’s embassy in Washington. He said the two handsets that were in use of the former ambassador and later went missing were the property of the government of Pakistan.
The commission asked the DG Americas whether Husain Haqqani reported to the Foreign Office whenever he met or contacted on phone Mansoor Ijaz during his stay in Washington as ambassador of Pakistan. He told the commission that he had gone through the ‘fresh receipts’ adding there was no mention of Haqqani either meeting Mansoor Ijaz or talking to him on phone.
The commission asked the Foreign Office official whether it was required under the rules by the ambassador to formally inform the FO about any important and significant meeting, telephonic conversation with some one else. He replied usually the ambassadors did so, however, he added it was the discretion of the ambassador to inform the FO or not.
The commission also asked the Foreign Office to inform it whether Haqqani had reported losing his two Blackberry sets in question.
The FO officials presented a copy of the contract agreement of Husain Haqqani as ambassador to the commission under which Official Secret Act, Civil Servant Rules, Civil Service Regulations and other rules and orders issued from time to time shall apply on him.
Justice Qazi Faez Isa said according to clause four of the agreement, the ambassador upon recalling or transfer was supposed to handover all the government property in his use to the Head of Chancery and questioned whether Haqqani handed over the two Blackberry sets. The FO DG said he would check from Washington embassy in this regard.
Counsel of Mansoor Ijaz alleged that Haqqani was still using secret fund available at the discretion of the ambassador for a ‘cover up’ of the memo scandal upon which the commission sought details of the utilization of the said fund during April 2011 to the end year that the commission would go through in-camera due to sensitivity of the information.
The commission asked the counsel of Haqqani to convey his client to submit waiver consent to RIM for obtaining data containing communication record of messages between Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz.
If Haqqani has nothing to hide, he should write the consent letter. If he does not, the Judicial Commission can always approach Canadian courts to get an order issued to Research in Motion to disclose the information.
Cant wait to see this pathetic excuse of a man behind bars… what a scum
HH is proving to be utterly shameless. Not a school boy will come up with excuses the likes he is making. He was not worth the ambassador's position to start with.
There's more to it than meets the eye…. Something is very fishy here.
Why would Haqqani axe his own feet??
Why doesn't Mansoor Ijaz give his BB message history???
Why did Gen.Pasha get all the evidence from Mansoor Ijaz Before coming back and giving his written statement to the court??
So many Why's……. this goes to show that the law is for the poor masses only.
Pathetic..!!!
How can haqqani sign his own warrant by writing a letter giving his consent to RIM
One day Riding in a motor Rickshaw I noticed that a donkey stopped far behind a smoke blowing bus. The owner did his best to move the donkey forward but it refused to budge. It could see that if it moved nearer to the bus the smoke will blow in its nostrils. How clever was that donkey we can tell from the way we tolrate a government which was elected by a dodgy election and selected ,after many UK and USA ministers' flying visits, inside USA embassy in Islamabad. This Haqni Oaf was no body already when we allowed ourselves to be ruled by the fathers of Mir Jafar and like. Pakistan nation has to wake up. Military Revolutions and Corrupt democarcies are not going to solve our problems. The nation has given rivers of blood to regain our Islamic State and the Islamic Revolution is only Solution. Men Like haqani and Zardari existed in the Time of Our Saviour The Prophet. They were calle Munafiqeen.
If he is not guilty then sky is not blue.
Both Haqqani and Zaradari are involved in this Memogate. They were aware of the May 2 attack. Insha-Allah, both haqqani and zardari will be hanged publicly….People will throw stones on their bodies…I curses on them
Uzair Ahmed
London
Both Haqqani and Zaradari are involved in this Memogate. God punish them hard so that they get the lesson ….They are involved in the destruction of pakistan…….I curse both of them
Uzair Ahmed
London
Zaradari and haqqani are not loyal to pakistan. Hang them publicly….
Kiran Abro
Hyderabad
Didnt RIM agree to share the data with government authorities to help curb crimes? India and UAE suspended Blackberry operations before to make them agree to this. Why cant Pakistan authorities do the same, even Haqqani didnt agree, they should pressure RIM to give up such information or suspend all Blackberry messaging service or ban all RIM mobiles in Pakistan. That will serve them and Haqqani right!
In India and the UAE their governments made BlackBerry to agree; here the govt. trying every thing to not let that happen. Four valuable years of this poor nation's life wasted in just protecting Zardari and his wealth. And look at Gilani and Aitzaz, both trying to outdo the other in saving this scum of the earth.
Now its crystal Clear Hussain Haqqani can stoop down to any thing .He has refused to go by the affidavid he gave to the commission .Haqqani should be convicted .
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