Haqqani denies any role in authoring memo
10 July, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Submitting his reply regarding the memo scandal case in the Supreme Court, former Pakistani ambassador to US Husain Haqqani rejected his role in authoring and authorising the disputed memo sent by Mansoor Ijaz through Gen James Jones to Admiral Michael Mullen.
In the reply submitted, Advocate on Record Chaudhry Akhtar Ali said, "No evidence has been presented and recorded by the commission, which establishes his role in authoring or authorising of the memo, which created no tangible threat to Pakistan security as claimed at the time of the setting up of the commission to probe its origin, authenticity and purpose."
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, objecting to Haqqani's reply, has returned his statement saying it does not bear clear signature of the former envoy. Haqqani contended that the conclusion and process adopted by the commission has only made mockery of fundamental rights that extended to protect the reputation of individuals and to ensure equal protection before the law guaranteeing due process.
Praying to set aside the commission report, he said, "The report of the commission be set aside and not be considered so that full justice is done and discrimination including persecution of the petitioner (Haqqani) be rectified."
He stated that the commission set up by the court had gone beyond the terms of reference and moved into inquiries that were not even remotely connected to the terms of reference and simply used to persecute the petitioner (Haqqani) on the responses, which were not probed deeply.
"For example, without any evidence or suggestion by any witness, the commission divulged into the secret funds of the embassy in Washington and incorrectly concluded that Haqqani has also objected to illicit funding of $3 million to politicians by ISI but himself received three times that amount. Similarly that Haqqani criticised the army chief for not disclosing the utilisation of secret funds, but he made no disclosure."
Haqqani pleaded that he did not make the policy of the government of Pakistan and thus had no hand in allocating funds to various departments, including the Pakistani embassies, as alleged in the commission report.
He contended that the commission has also conveniently glossed over the evidence of Mansoor Ijaz where he categorically admitted that he drafted and sent the memo.
"The dangerous assertions made by the witness Mansoor Ijaz in his testimony about Pakistan leadership and its armed forces has also been ignored," he said.
Haqqani alleged that the bias and grinding prejudice of the commission is also reflected in several comments they made against him, saying his personal history is misquoted and the commission questions that he has no property in Pakistan then how could he be appointed as an ambassador to US.
He maintained that the commission went beyond its mandate in that it worked as an investigating agency and carried out a roving inquiry without any legal process in Pakistan. "Due process has totally been denied to him," Haqqani's lawyer contended.
End.
|