What really happened

This refers to Mian Abrar’s article ‘The Illicit Alliance’ (Pakistan Today, February 13).

In his enthusiasm to condemn Pakistan’s political class, in language reminiscent of all those who have done so periodically to advocate military intervention in politics in the past, the reporter gets his facts wrong. He drags me into his argument, which proves he was speculating more than actually reporting on the basis of actual events.

He writes: “PPP leaders say Mr Zardari and his son, PPP Chairman Bilawal Zardari, made good use of the Breakfast Prayer meeting with President Obama to lobby for their rescue. Former ambassador to US Husain Haqqani is their lead lobbyist these days and he had arranged the meetings of the senior and junior Zardari with sitting and former members of Congress, think-tank members and other influential lobbyists.”

The fact is that I was away from Washington DC during the visit of former President Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and did not meet them during this trip, let alone arrange their schedule. Mian Abrar probably did not read reporting in other newspapers about former ambassador to the US, Ms Sherry Rehman, accompanying and assisting the top PPP leadership during their Washington trip.

I understand that I have become the top target of invisible enforcers of Pakistani hyper-nationalism but even that does not justify Pakistan Today publishing blatant non-facts in its columns.

HUSAIN HAQQANI

Washington, DC, USA