Former ambassador of Pakistan to the United States Hussain Haqqani on Tuesday termed reports regarding reopening of the infamous Memogate case as a ‘political gimmick’, according to Express News.
In a recent statement, Haqqani said that after former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, four Supreme Court (SC) judges have successfully completed their tenure without taking up the Memogate reference.
“There is no chance that I would travel to Pakistan on the insistence of babay rehmatay (wise, old man),” the former ambassador was quoted as saying. “The authority of these babay rehmatay does not extend beyond the borders of Pakistan,” Haqqani had said.
Haqqani questioned the authority of a three-member SC bench which would likely reopen the Memogate case, saying that in 2009, the high-profile case was overseen by a nine-member bench of the apex court, adding, “I do not understand why a three-member bench would conduct hearing in this regard now?”
The former ambassador also said that the SC decision in 2009 regarding the Memogate case had referenced 2003 laws in their ruling, which was suspended at the time.
Earlier, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar constituted a bench to hear the Memogate case. The bench, headed by the CJP and comprising of Justice Umar Atta Bandial and Justice Ejazul Hassan, would hear the case on February 8.
CJP Nisar had earlier said that Hussain Haqqani should come to Pakistan and face court proceeding regarding the case. The former ambassador flew out of the country and landed in America after assuring the apex court that he would return. The petitions against the Memogate scandal were filed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Ishaq Dar and others.