As the memo commission is moving gradually to “catch the fish” and holding its second meeting at the Islamabad High Court today (Monday), some players have jumped into the fray in apparent attempts to muddle the pool, with one approaching the court for the registration of an FIR against Mansoor Ijaz and the other challenging the constitution of the three-member commission set up by the Supreme Court. A Pakistan People’s Party activist moved a lower court on Saturday for registration of an FIR against Mansoor Ijaz, who is one of the main characters of the memo scandal, for his “anti-Pakistan lobbying”. Khalid Javed, known to be a PPP activist, moved the court at a time when the US national had already hinted at visiting Pakistan at an appropriate time to testify before the commission. Islamabad Additional Sessions Judge Wajahat Hassan has sought report from the Secretariat police SHO by Tuesday after preliminary hearing of the application. On the other hand, petitioner Shahid Orakzai challenged the establishment of the three-member commission by the Supreme Court to probe the memo case, saying the Sindh and Balochistan High Court chief justices were not authorised to work as commission members, as they were employees of the provincial governments and their salaries were paid by the respective governments. He submitted that the said chief justices could not become part of the commission without the permission of the president. He added that the commission’s formation was not in accordance with the constitution. The attempt on part of the two individuals appear to be attempts to complicate the case and create hurdles in the way of Mansoor Ijaz’s arrival to Pakistan, as the government is already shying away from the probe into the memo by the commission. As the commission is meets today, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and former Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani are unlikely to appear before it. However, PML-N sources said party chief Nawaz Sharif was likely to appear before the commission. During the previous hearing on January 2, the commission had expressed displeasure over Haqqani’s absence from the proceedings despite him being served notice. The commission asked the AG to reissue summon to Haqqani to appear on the next date of hearing. It directed the government to provide him requisite security as well. Sources in the government said Haqqani was unlikely to appear before the commission even today. However, the foreign secretary is expected to apprise the commission about the entries in the records of Pakistan’s embassy in Washington pertaining to meetings between Hussain Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz.
