The memo commission on Thursday held the Foreign Office (FO) part of the “cover up team” in the memo scandal, as FO Director General (Americas) Sohail Khan failed to answer even “the simple queries pertaining to the missing blackberry sets of Husain Haqqani in a straight manner”.
“Don’t talk rubbish. What kind of game you are playing (with the commission). You are here to cooperate (with the commission) or do you have another agenda. Are you here to play a game with the commission,” shouted Justice Qazi Faez Isa, chairman of the memo commission. The judicial commission is probing the origin, authenticity and purpose of the memorandum allegedly written under the directions of President Asif Ali Zardari to seek US influence to avert a feared military coup. The DG made the court angry after he failed to reply in clear terms if Haqqani had formally or informally handed over the government property under his use as ambassador to the head of chancery (HoC) at Washington Embassy after relinquishing the post. Sohail also could not give the court a satisfactory reply on whether Haqqani had reported the loss of his two official Blackberry sets to the embassy or the Foreign Office. The answer from the DG was: “We had asked our embassy in Washington to provide response to these queries and they have responded that they (blackberry sets) have not yet been returned to the Mission by Haqqani.”
In response, Justice Isa observed, “You have not answered the question. We know that, but the question is, had he (Haqqani) formally handed over the government property and whether he reported the loss of Blackberry sets to the FO or the embassy concerned?”
The DG replied that he would ask the embassy again to get more precise answer to the questions, and would apprise the commission on the next date of hearing. “Why did you not do so before coming to the commission today,” Justice Isa enquired. He remarked that the order passed by the commission on the last hearing was “very clear”, and that there was no ambiguity in it. “Shall we hold you (DG) in contempt of court and charge you? Have you recommended suspension of any official at the embassy for not complying with your orders? Is it complicated to understand the questions? Shall we presume that you are part of the cover up?” Justice Isa remarked as the DG stood mum at the rostrum. The DG could not even produce a copy of the letter sent in this regard to the Pakistani embassy in Washington. “I have not brought it with me,” the DG told the commission.