THE MEMO THAT WAS!

By
Hussain
-
23
171

The memo controversy seems to remain an inextricable riddle for the nation as the de-escalation phase begins. It was expected. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s retraction of his statement about Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt General Ahmad Shuja Pasha was understandably an initiative to avoid confrontation and bring the civil-military relations back to normal – no more sabre-rattling. The efforts of intermediaries worked.
Politics is the art of the possible. The prime minister handled the volatile situation, politically. And, nothing happened to the disappointment of the agents of instability who had thought the government would not last beyond the month of February and kept adding fuel to the fire. The states don’t work that way, albeit our political history is contrary to this as such a situation in the past had always taken its toll with one or two heads rolling or the system being packed up.
Though two heads, the defence secretary and the country’s former ambassador to Washington, did roll this time, the government stayed and the tension, if not completely defused, started showing signs of de-escalation – the Supreme Court order in the memo case on Monday is an indicator. The memo commission was granted two more months to complete its investigation and Husain Haqqani was allowed to conditionally leave the country. What appears to have been agreed to as a middle ground to end the impasse is: one, the prime minister should withdraw his statement; and two, the removal of the ambassador and the defence secretary should be a balancing factor with both sides having compromised on one head each and the top men in Islamabad and Rawalpindi continuing till their respective tenures in office end. After all, the prime minister had predicted that all top offices were secure subsequent to the extension in General Kayani’s service as army chief – he has so far not retracted this statement.
Mansoor Ijaz continues to make headlines. Following the nine-member Supreme Court bench’s decision on the memo commission’s request and Haqqani’s application, he made a startling disclosure that it was
he who, in a letter to the chief justice, had asked the top judge to allow the former ambassador to leave the country. Surprisingly, he had asked the chief justice to keep his letter secret but he himself reportedly leaked its contents to the media.
An un-attributed report claimed Ijaz wrote to the chief justice that if he guaranteed his protection and safe return immediately after his deposition before the memo commission, he would come to Pakistan. He feared that in case he came to Pakistan he would get stuck here for what he considered a year, and this would affect his business and family.
He also claimed that it was his proposal to let Haqqani leave the country as it was like keeping him free and the former ambassador under restriction.
On the face of it, his claims simply appear ridiculous.
Whether or not the chief justice guarantees him protection and safe return remains to be seen. But if it really happened on his writing a letter to the chief justice then it must have been with the consent of all concerned in the larger national interest under the doctrine of necessity – the national interest has to be supreme, we are always told, and a new development pushes us into an even more grievous situation.

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23 COMMENTS

  5. Supreme Court would like to cling on to this saga despite the main witness declined to visit Pakistan. I am not sure what the SC is going to achieve by giving extension to the commission. I will not be surprised the commission will be dispatched abroad to record the statement of Ijaz Mansoor.

    • I am thinking that this is a 'face-saving' way for SC to slowly 'back-out' from their 'over-extended' 'power-play'…

  6. Hahaha yehi karna tha to to pher itne din drama kyun kia kyun bewqoof bana rehe hain is awam ko in ka qasoor srif itna hea ke wot dete hain our SC par yakeen karte hain

  7. I bet the commission members are being paid huge sums of money for being members. Now they can continue to make this money for another couple of months and maybe even take a european vacation under the pretense of recording statements. WOW. What a gig!!!!

  9. MOOK MUUKAAA ho gaya hai .. and its part of deal that Haqqani will go back to his home country :)) and will start conspiring again.. and Country’s big bosses will watch and get ready for a new “Norra Kushtee”.. and Poor people will keep on struggling for basic foods like Zombies. In short its called

  10. What a cruel joke being played with the Pakistani people. Letting Haqqani go abroad, extend the commission dates, no attempts at ensuring security for Mansoor – dont know why SC is doing all this but its disappointing and just another in a long line of pointless undertakings by SC. Lets stop all these charades for the sake of people

  11. Former ambassador to United States Hussain Haqqani’s departure from Pakistan after Memogate scandal – last nail in the coffin of Pakistan’s judiciary. Hussain Haqqani – Raymond Davis No.2

    M. RAFIQUE ZAKARIA

    Karachi

  12. Memo drop scene has blackened the faces of all those who wasted precious time of the nation. In fact, last four years seem to have been wasted by the same elements on sensationalising non-issues. These self-styled monopolists of patriotism have done enormous damage to our country since 1947.

  13. i just learnt Haqqni left Pakistan and he is taking a private plane to go to USA.

    Priviate plane ?. is he that rich or CIA is paying for charatered plane ?
    Or Zaradari's best friend… Malik Riaz Bahria town wala is paying .. I guess he wants to have access to Obama. :))) and start DHA in USA :)))

    I never had a private plane flight.. I must write a Memo too . :)) I think I should start from Menu of my life first…

    1. DAL……
    2.Rooti
    3. Saaf Pani.
    4. Non-fake Medicien

    :))))

  17. Lets look at the assets of the supreme court judges and see if their incomes (only legal-no bribes) justify these assets. i would bet not. i have yet to see this independent judiciary make one single decision that made any difference. all they do is keep delaying the trials and verdicts so they can keep milking the country while pretending to be the protectors of the people and the constituition. i bet most of them can't even spell justice much less deliver it. what a shame.

  20. Supreme court go to hell as we have witnessed its huge lethargic progress since 4 years, where is the justice, the stalwarts of justice always prefer their interests on national interests. Finally the ray of hope inovking by the sentimental masses of pakistan dismantled this time also.

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