<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" version="2.0"><channel>
                        <title>The Express Tribune</title>
                        <atom:link href="https://tribune.com.pk/feed/husainhaqqani" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/>
                        <link>https://tribune.com.pk/feed/husainhaqqani</link>
                        <description>The Express Tribune keeps you up to date with all the latest happenings from Pakistan and across the world!</description>
                        <lastBuildDate>Wed, 10 Jun 26 11:38:05 +0500</lastBuildDate>
                        <language>en-US</language>
                        <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
                        <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
                        <generator>https://laravel.com/</generator><item>
			<title>US, Pakistan should work towards a 'post-alliance future': Husain Haqqani</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/444049/us-pakistan-should-work-towards-a-post-alliance-future-husain-haqqani</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/444049/us-pakistan-should-work-towards-a-post-alliance-future-husain-haqqani#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 28 Sep 12 17:00:58 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=444049</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[ex-Pakistan ambassador to US says army continues to influence Pakistan's domestic politics.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Former Pakistan’s ambassador to US Husain Haqqani has said that given their tumultuous relationship, Islamabad and  Washington should start working towards a "post-alliance future" to develop a long-term and fruitful relationship.

Talking to Radio Free Europe (REF)/Radio Liberty (RL) Haqqani said that both the countries needed to find a common ground to change the basis of their relationship. He added that Pakistan and US needed to have a long-term relationship rather than a transactional 'alliance'. Working on a military-less post-alliance relation will help both countries burgeon trade, people-to-people relations and friendship.

Army continues to influence domestic politics

The former Pakistan ambassador while expressing his respect for the military for their role in protecting and sacrificing for the country in times of war, said that "Pakistan has suffered a lot from the military's political role."

Elaborating, he said that Pakistan military, during its decades of rule, tries to define what is good for the country and what is not. "That job should rest with parliament, with the Pakistani media, with open debate, [and] with civil society."

However, Haqqani noted that while the military has publicly moved away from mainstream politics, it was still a critical actor having a great deal of sway.

"I think that Pakistan's civilians have to step up to the plate," he said.

Pakistan, US differ on 'stable Afghanistan' definition

As the date for US withdrawal from Afghanistan nears, talks between Islamabad and Washington have increasingly focused on the kind of set up that will be left behind in Kabul. Haqqani though noted that a sticking point is the definition of a 'stable Afghanistan' for the two countries.

"The disagreement [between the United States and Pakistan] that we see sometimes is on the definition of what constitutes a stable Afghanistan."

The former Pakistan ambassador noted that if the US left Afghanistan in chaos, the fall out for Pakistan could be disastrous.

Haqqani though said that Pakistan needed to change its traditional views about its neighbour, stressing that only Afghans alone should be allowed to determine a future for the war-torn country.

Pakistani press 'open to manipulation'

Having worked as a journalist in Pakistan, Haqqani said that the industry has been able to fight off direct government controls but "Pakistan's media remains open to manipulation by elements within the state, by the permanent establishment, by non-state actors, by political parties, and by business influences."

This, he pointed out, can lead the press to be chaotic, and not professionally sound.

This, though could be combated through "better educated, better informed journalism."

'Memogate' pending SC decision

Talking about the 'memogate' firestorm which ultimately led to his resignation as Pakistan's ambassador to the US and lengthy legal investigation, Haqqani said that the Supreme Court is yet to come to a decision on the matter.

"I have not been charged with anything under law, and therefore, I continue to work as a Pakistani citizen in the United States, teaching, writing, [and] publishing."]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/444049-HussainHaqqani-1348848674/444049-HussainHaqqani-1348848674.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>US, Pakistan must divorce as allies: Haqqani</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/425111/us-pakistan-must-divorce-as-allies-haqqani</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/425111/us-pakistan-must-divorce-as-allies-haqqani#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 23 Aug 12 07:03:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=425111</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The United States and Pakistan should stop pretending they are allies, says former ambassador.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The United States and Pakistan should stop pretending they are allies and amicably “divorce," Pakistan's former ambassador to Washington said on Wednesday, citing unrealistic expectations in both countries that include US hopes Islamabad will sever its links to extremists.      

"If in 65 years, you haven't been able to find sufficient common ground to live together, and you had three separations  and four reaffirmations of marriage, then maybe the better way  is to find friendship outside of the marital bond," Husain Haqqani said, addressing the Center for the National Interest, a Washington think tank.

Haqqani's recommendation that the United States and Pakistan essentially downgrade their status was based on the premise that it may be the only way to break from what has been a dysfunctional relationship.

A post-alliance future would allow both countries to hold more realistic expectations of each other, cooperating where possible but perhaps without the sense of betrayal, which has become acute in Pakistan.

He cited a survey by the Pew Research Center released in June showing roughly three-in-four Pakistanis consider the United States an enemy, even though the United States pours billions of dollars of aid into the country.

"If this was an election campaign... you would advise the senator with these kinds of favorability ratings to pull out of the race, instead of spending more money," said Haqqani, who plans to publish a book entitled "Magnificent Delusions" next year about the US-Pakistan relationship.

His candid remarks represented Haqqani's first address in Washington since he resigned as Pakistan's envoy last year after, he says, being framed for drafting a memo that accused the Pakistani army of plotting a coup - allegations he defended himself against before the Supreme Court.

Many of Haqqani's comments underscored the friction between Pakistan’s civilian government and military.

Haqqani, who served as an adviser to four Pakistani prime ministers, identified himself among a small minority who support good relations with the United States but "who do not have the ability to influence the course of policy at home."

He said Pakistan's military needed to be under greater civilian control, adding Pakistan's national interests are defined "by generals, not by civilian leaders."

But he also doled out criticism of US policymaking, saying it was too often short-sighted, lacking the necessary historic  perspective needed to appreciate realistically what Pakistan  might do in return for aid and cooperation.

The depths of the strained US-Pakistan relationship have come into full public view since the United States, without telling Pakistan, secretly staged a raid to kill Osama bin Laden last year. Haqqani was ambassador at the time.

He repeatedly said someone in Pakistan knew of Bin Laden’s presence, even though he stopped far short of blaming Pakistan’s principal intelligence agency, the Inter Services Intelligence directorate (ISI).

"I still think a full proper investigation on the Pakistani side is needed to find out how Osama bin Laden lived in Pakistan and who supported him - within or outside the government," he said. "I really do not know (who helped Bin Laden). All I am saying is that somebody knew."

Unrealistic expectations

He said it was just as unrealistic for Pakistanis to think that the United States would side with Pakistan by launching war on India as it was for the United States to think Pakistan would give up its nuclear weapons or sever ties with extremists.

"Equally unrealistic is that Pakistan... will give up support for jihadi groups that it deems to be a subconventional force multiplier for regional influence," Haqqani said.

Describing his vision for a post-alliance future for the United States and Pakistan, Haqqani appeared to downplay US security concerns. He said Pakistan's eight-month shut-off of  ground supply lines for NATO forces in Afghanistan showed the  United States it could rely on more costly routes to the North.

And when it comes to unpopular US drone strikes against militants, Haqqani believed the United States would press ahead with the campaign even in a post-alliance future.

"I have no realistic expectation of the United States ending the drone campaign and (no realistic expectation of) Pakistan accepting it," he said.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/425111-husain-1345697740/425111-husain-1345697740.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Husain Haqqani joins US lobbying firm</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/409137/husain-haqqani-joins-us-lobbying-firm</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/409137/husain-haqqani-joins-us-lobbying-firm#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 16 Jul 12 18:20:47 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[huma.imtiaz]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=409137</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA['Haqqani will play an invaluable role as our team engages corporations, government entities, and foreign...]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani has joined the private government relations and lobbying firm Cassidy &amp; Associates as a Senior Advisor.

A press release issued by Cassidy &amp; Associates says that Haqqani’s appointment is a significant step in ensuring “the firm’s clients are protected and connected around the world.”

“Ambassador Haqqani will play an invaluable role as our team engages corporations, government entities, and foreign sovereigns. Time and again we confront global situations on behalf of clients when having the experience and perspective of a senior member of the diplomatic corps can be the difference between success and failure,” said the firm’s chairman Gerald Cassidy in the press release.

The press release said Haqqani's current occupation is Professor of International Relations at the Boston University and a co-chair at the Hudson Institute’s Project on the Future of the Muslim World.

It is worth mentioning that Cassidy &amp; Associates were hired by the Embassy of Pakistan to serve as lobbyists for the Government of Pakistan between July 2009 and August 2010. According to disclosure forms filed at the US House website, the firm was paid $360,000 for their services during that period, which included lobbying on Pakistan’s behalf in the US House, Senate and State Department.

Last year, The Hill, a newspaper and website that covers Congress, reported that the Pakistani Embassy had hired Cassidy &amp; Associates in October 2007 on a yearlong $1.2 million contract, which was withdrawn by the firm after then President General Musharraf declared emergency rule.

Haqqani served as Pakistan’s ambassador between 2008 and 2011. He resigned his post last year after being accused of having authored a controversial memo that asked US officials to help avert a coup in Pakistan and remove Pakistan’s top military and intelligence leaders from their post by Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/409137-HusainHaqqaniAFP-1342460783/409137-HusainHaqqaniAFP-1342460783.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Crying foul: Haqqani to challenge ‘one-sided’ report</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/392935/crying-foul-haqqani-to-challenge-%e2%80%98one-sided%e2%80%99-report</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/392935/crying-foul-haqqani-to-challenge-%e2%80%98one-sided%e2%80%99-report#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 13 Jun 12 00:16:08 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[gibran.ashraf]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=392935</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Former diplomat stated that the commission could neither pronounce him guilty nor uphold his innocence.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani said his legal team would challenge the report of a commission, formed to probe the Memogate scandal, which stated that he authored the controversial memo.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Haqqani described the report as “political” and “one-sided” based on the findings of a “foreigner”.

He said his lawyers would be challenging the report on the basis of legal flaws in the proceedings of the commission before the Supreme Court.

“The entire proceedings reflected the political machination of ideological elements including the judiciary and had little to do with fact-finding,” he alleged.

“The commission has based its findings on the claims of one man, a foreigner, and dubious records presented by him, which were reinforced by an equally dubious exercise termed as forensics,” he said.

The former diplomat also stated that the commission could neither pronounce him guilty nor uphold his innocence. “In any case, the commission was created as a fact-finding body and not as a trial court so it has no right to pronounce anyone guilty or innocent of any crime.”

“Similarly, the Supreme Court of Pakistan cannot act as a trial court and must not abuse its authority as the court of final appeal to divert attention from the embarrassment of its politicised leadership,” he added.

Haqqani also suggested that there may have been an ulterior motive to the commission’s report. “The commission’s report has been released to distract attention from other more embarrassing developments,” he said, alluding to the allegations relating to Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s son Arsalan Chaudhry.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 13th, 2012.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/392935-HusainHaqqani-1339546417/392935-HusainHaqqani-1339546417.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Haqqani to challenge report, Ijaz says findings brought forth truth</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/392522/haqqani-to-challenge-memo-commission%e2%80%99s-report</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/392522/haqqani-to-challenge-memo-commission%e2%80%99s-report#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 12 Jun 12 07:37:51 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=392522</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Speaking the truth was a moral compulsion for me, says Mansoor Ijaz.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States (US) Husain Haqqani said on Tuesday that he will challenge the report of the judicial commission that was probing the Memogate scandal. The report submitted to the Supreme Court stated that Haqqani had authored the confidential memo.

In a series of tweets on the microblogging website Twitter, Haqqani responded to the commission’s report. He said that the commission’s proceedings were one-sided:
One-sided proceedings of Commission that refused to hear me will be challenged by my lawyers.
Commission is not a court and those claiming it has determined guilt or innocence are wrong.
In a statement released, he said "Commission was created as a fact-finding body and not as a trial court so it has no right to pronounce anyone guilty or innocent of any crime."

Haqqani also said that the report aimed to “distract” people’s attention from other issues:
Memo Commission report is bring used to distract attention from other embarrassing issues. Its claims are political, not legal.
He further said that no one had the right to judge his patriotism:
Those who endorsed military dictators &amp; allowed them 2 amend constitution cannot judge my -or anyone else’s-patriotism.
Commission’s report brought forth truth I have been speaking: Ijaz

Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, whose claims stirred the Memogate controversy, said that the Supreme Court’s unveiling of the judicial commission’s report had brought forth the “truth he had been speaking from the day the case started.”

He said, “Speaking the truth was a moral compulsion for me – it brought harm to my family, my business interests and my political relationships.  But the value of the truth I spoke outweighed all of these considerations.”

Asma Jahangir flays commission report

Former Pakistan ambassador to US Hussain Haqqani's counsel Asma Jahangir termed the report of judicial commission on memo scandal as biased and expressed serious reservations on it.

Talking to media persons at Lahore High Court on Tuesday, she also questioned the commission's jurisdiction and that under what law could a Commission declare anyone a traitor.

She was of the view that the commission acted as both complainant and adjudicator. She critiqued that the inquiry report, that it should have been shown to the counsels of the parties involved before being presented before the Supreme Court.

She also questioned another finding of the commission and wondered how the commission could declare Haqqani forced Mansoor Ijaz to write the memo, yet, fail to establish any evidence to this effect.

Replying to a question on whether Haqqani will return to country following SC directions, Jahangir said she had to yet to see the Commission’s report.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/392522-haqqanimansoorijaz-1339486276/392522-haqqanimansoorijaz-1339486276.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>What did Husain Haqqani write?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/387841/what-did-husain-haqqani-write</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/387841/what-did-husain-haqqani-write#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 02 Jun 12 18:49:38 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[khaled.ahmed]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=387841</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[His book, 'Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military' highlights the pattern of army, Religious Orgs working in tandem.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The army is offended with Husain Haqqani because he allegedly plotted against its leadership, while he was Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington. Some people thought that he even inserted the punitive anti-army conditionalities in the Kerry-Lugar Bill of 2009.

Did the Americans copy these caveats from Husain Haqqani’s book Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military (Carnegie Endowment 2005)? What did Haqqani write that was so offensive to the army? He is facing a trial for treason, which is likely to attract the death penalty. And the judges are surprisingly hostile to him because the judiciary, by accepting the case, might be conflating Pakistani nationalism with loyalty to Pakistan Army. It is not to blame; the Constitution itself does so.

The book highlights the pattern of army and Religious Organisations working in tandem. It also traces another doctrine — that of “strategic depth”, which came to grief with 9/11 — to early formulations of strategy. Because Pakistan did not have geographical depth when militarily confronted by a 1,000-mile deep India, the army posited “fusion of the defence of Afghanistan and Pakistan”.

Haqqani traces it, not to the timeline of Pakistan Army’s decision to support the Taliban, but to Aslam Siddiqi’s 1960 book Pakistan Seeks Security. Siddiqi leans on Sir William Kerr Fraser-Tytler’s suggestion that the two states be fused into one. Siddiqi’s typically military addendum to the theory was that since it cannot be done by force (“fusion will lead to confusion”), Islamic ideology may be put to use. I am sure that today, Siddiqi will admit that it is the ‘fusion’ of Talibanisation with Pakistan that has led to more ‘confusion’.

Haqqani says that the army’s cohabitation with the mosque came through the intermediation of Nawaz Sharif. Pressured by the ISI and Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Nawaz Sharif toed the line on Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. An actual attempt at an overthrow was led by a major general who was “allegedly” patronised by the ex-ISI chief General Javed Nasir of the Tablighi Jamaat. A “weak” army chief was also to be targeted by the coup-plotters together with Benazir Bhutto and her government.

Haqqani reveals that the heavily bearded ISI chief, Javed Nasir, authorised the 1993 attack — through the Indian underworld figure Daud Ibrahim — on the Bombay Stock Exchange, which killed 250 people as revenge for the destruction of the Babri Mosque by Hindu fanatics. Javed Nasir’s list of “enemies of Islam” at the ISI included “the United States, Hindu leadership of India and the Zionists”. The covert Kashmir policy swung out of control under Benazir in 1993 as Mast Gul, a Jamaat-e-Islami hero of Charar Sharif, was lionised by the ISI against her wishes!

In 1998, Nawaz Sharif was compelled to mend fences with the Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke, near Lahore, when the governor of Punjab and the federal information minister called on its leader and praised him and his terrorist forays into India.

Haqqani also mentions the October 2001 attack by the Jaish-e-Muhammad on the Kashmir assembly in Srinagar. Then in December the same year, the Lashkar-e-Taiba attacked the Indian parliament, bringing the Indian Army eyeball-to-eyeball with the Pakistan Army on the borders. General (retd) Pervez Musharraf arrested Hafiz Saeed but let him go after keeping him in safe custody for some time.

There is reference to Fazlur Rehman Khaleel of the Harkatul Mujahideen. Khaleel was the logistics man for Osama bin Laden and had co-signed the 1998 fatwa of death against the Americans with OBL. He has a ‘safe house’ in Islamabad.

What came first, the army-sponsored India policy or army-sponsored Islamic extremism? Haqqani says it was India-centrism that finally brought Pakistan to Islamic extremism. The myth of India not accepting Pakistan and attacking Pakistan lives on even after the acquisition of nuclear deterrence.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2012.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/387841-KhaledAhmedNew-1338660708/387841-KhaledAhmedNew-1338660708.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Former Ambassador recognised for 'exemplary' diplomatic discourse</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/372512/former-ambassador-recognised-for-exemplary-diplomatic-discourse</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/372512/former-ambassador-recognised-for-exemplary-diplomatic-discourse#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 01 May 12 02:38:36 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=372512</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Haqqani says prejudice between Pakistanis and Americans is the biggest hurdle to good relations.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, was honoured with the Distinguished Service Award For the Advancement of Public Discourse on Foreign Policy by the American Committee on Foreign Relations (ACFR).

Haqqani was presented the award at a ceremony in Washington attended by ACFR members from across the United States, gathered for the organisation's 17thAnnual Conference.

Presenting the award, ACFR President John Brierley said that Haqqani had “served his country in exemplary fashion as a journalist, scholar, educator, diplomat.” He said that the former ambassador had managed the US-Pakistan relationship in difficult times and had brought the message of friendship with Pakistan to many remote parts of the US, and that he had “served with distinction as Pakistan's ambassador the United States from 2008 to 2011.”

“[Haqqani] has shown an extraordinary commitment to improving relations between the US and Pakistan,” Brierley said, adding that the former ambassador's willingness to take risks in reaching out and arguing the case for Pakistan-US relations had earned him a unique place among diplomats serving in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Husain Haqqani said that the greatest barrier to good relations between nations was the prejudice between their people.

“Americans must not view Pakistan as a stereotype and just through the prism of their fight against terrorism. Pakistanis need to be told the American point of view without use of force and with respect for the country’s sovereignty,” he observed. Dialogue and negotiations in relations between countries along with patience and perseverance were important virtues in diplomacy, Haqqani said.

The American Committees on Foreign Relations (ACFR) is a non profit association dedicated to facilitating debate on international events--primarily as they relate to the formulation and implementation of US foreign policy.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/372512-HusainHaqqani-1335838541/372512-HusainHaqqani-1335838541.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Memogate: RIM database records information for last 90 days only</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/365993/memogate-probe-rim-database-records-information-for-last-90-days-only</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/365993/memogate-probe-rim-database-records-information-for-last-90-days-only#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Apr 12 14:37:26 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=365993</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[BlackB­erry manufa­cturer says cannot provid­e record­s of Haqqan­i, Ijaz's conver­sation.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) has said that it cannot provide records of Husain Haqqani’s conversations with Mansoor Ijaz because its database only stores information for last 90 days, Express News reported on Tuesday.  

The judicial commission probing the memogate scandal had asked Haqqani to write a letter of consent to RIM, allowing them to access his account to extract records of his conversations with Ijaz, the self-proclaimed whistle-blower of the Memogate scandal.

“Yes, Haqqani has formally written to RIM to waive his privacy in compliance with the commission’s orders,” Zahid Bukhari, the attorney for Haqqani, had told The Express Tribune.

He said his client has given full authority to RIM to email the data either to him (Haqqani) or to his email account, since RIM’s policy forbids sending data to a third party.

Commission rejects Haqqani's adjournment application

The Judicial Commission had also rejected Haqqani’s adjournment application. The commission further directed the government to ascertain a list of his property details and submit it before the court by April 26.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/365993-haqqaniijazmemo-1334673042/365993-haqqaniijazmemo-1334673042.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Memogate: Haqqani's legal team advises Ijaz to spare 'stories' for grandchildren</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350252/memogate-haqqanis-legal-team-advises-ijaz-to-spare-stories-for-grandchildren</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350252/memogate-haqqanis-legal-team-advises-ijaz-to-spare-stories-for-grandchildren#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 14 Mar 12 21:27:41 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[press.release]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=350252</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA['Ijaz’s statements throw light on him, more as a star of the Stupidisco music video than a serious person']]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A spokesman for the legal team of Pakistan’s former Ambassador Husain Haqqani has reacted strongly to a statement by Mansoor Ijaz, the key respondent in the Memogate scandal. Advising him to spare 'stories' of threats for his grandchildren.

A counter-statement issued by the former ambassador's legal team read,“He is best advised to keep these stories for his grand children since soon no one in the world will be ready to listen to his fiction pandered as truth.”

"Mansoor Ijaz’s continuous press statements to influence the Memogate Commission are unfortunate and must be seen with disdain by the Pakistani nation,” the spokesperson added.

On early Wednesday morning, Ijaz had claimed that he had been receiving threatening messages from unknown numbers of kidnapping and killing his daughter.

The threats were sent as messages to the cell phone of Ijaz’s son.

Describing Ijaz as the real conspirator behind Memogate, the spokesperson said that Ijaz had failed in his objective of creating a rift between different institutions of Pakistan and was making a desperate attempt to influence the country, including the honorable judicial commission.

“Mansoor has presented to the Judicial Commission whatever he believes to be facts, but to us most of that consists of fabrication, imagination and Ijaz’s attention grabbing antics. A great example of that are his so called transcripts of Pakistan’s Air Traffic Control and the communication between two high offices of Pakistan on May 2 last year,” the spokesman said.

Haqqani’s legal team added that even a cursory glance of the so called evidence presented by Ijaz only proves that he has great story telling skills.

The spokesperson also took great exception to unsolicited advice by Ijaz to Haqqani on how to present his position in the Judicial Commission.

He further added that Ijaz’s problem was that he believed that his financial, moral and credit problems all rest on the conclusion of the ‘Memogate’ investigation, in his favour.

"He, unfortunately for himself, is mistaken, as his story’s gaping holes which will be exposed within the first ten minutes when our side starts cross questioning him," the statement quoted his spokesperson as saying.

The spokesman further commented,“Mansoor Ijaz’s statements only throw light on him more as a star of the Stupidisco music video than as a serious person.”

The spokesman again reminded that the honorable judicial commission had barred respondents from commenting on the proceedings of the commission and wondered whether Ijaz was enjoying this liberty to issue statements due to his belief that the Pakistani judicial authorities cannot stop him as he is beyond their jurisdiction.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/350252-haqqaniafp-1331756716/350252-haqqaniafp-1331756716.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>PPP considers getting Haqqani elected as Senator</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/313449/ppp-considers-getting-haqqani-elected-as-senator</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/313449/ppp-considers-getting-haqqani-elected-as-senator#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 29 Dec 11 05:04:46 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[irfan.ghauri]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=313449</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Party contemplates how to overcome legal bars.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Legal and constitutional hurdles aside, adamant Pakistan Peoples Party circles are considering getting former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani elected to the Senate in March 2012.


This move was discussed in a meeting held at the Presidency last week, where the legal brains of the party were asked to contemplate how to overcome legal bars, if any, on Haqqani since he recently resigned as the ambassador, sources said.

Article 63 of the Constitution puts a two-year bar on any government servant to contest polls after retirement. Clause (j) of the same article extends this bar period to three years if a person is removed or compulsorily retired from service.

However, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani recently told the media that Haqqani had voluntarily submitted his resignation after his name appeared in the Memogate scandal, currently a bone of contention between the military establishment and the PPP.

Although Haqqani served as ambassador to the US, he does not belong to the civil service group and some legal experts are of the opinion that the two-year bar might not apply in his case. However, most constitutional experts believe that Article 63 will be a major stumbling block.

PPP Secretary-General Senator Jahangir Badar refrained from confirming the intent of his party, saying that he has asked interested candidates to file applications by January 10, after which the party will decide who to award the tickets to.

Furthermore, the ECP recently barred dual nationality holders from taking part in elections. However, a PPP leader, who attended the meeting where the proposal was being discussed, said that he was not sure if Haqqani possesses dual nationality. However, there is a precedent in the past where the Supreme Court allowed Umer Ghuman to contest the 2002 polls despite the fact that he was US ‘green card’ holder.

An official of the Election Commission who deals with election wing of the commission said he was not sure if Haqqani will fall in the category of clause (m) of the article 63 that exempts some holders of offices in the government service from any ban in taking part in elections. “This would be the first case of its nature as far as I know,” the official said.

Justice (retd) Tariq Mehmood, a legal expert, was of the view that the bar will apply: “There is precedent: Syeda Abida Hussain’s nomination papers that she had filed for 1993 elections on the same ground were rejected.”

Hussain also confirmed the rejection, saying that after servicing as ambassador to Washington from 1991-93 she filed her nomination papers to take part in 1993 elections but the returning officer and the election tribunal rejected them. She later moved the Supreme Court and her appeal matured in 2000. “The full bench of court gave a detailed verdict where they specifically mentioned which offices were exempted,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29th, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/313449-HaqqaniPHOTOAFPFILE-1325134971/313449-HaqqaniPHOTOAFPFILE-1325134971.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Rejoinders: Army, ISI chiefs stick to their guns on memo</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/310328/mod-reply-we-only-handle-administrative-matters-of-isi-not-operational</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/310328/mod-reply-we-only-handle-administrative-matters-of-isi-not-operational#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 21 Dec 11 20:48:32 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[faisal.shakeel]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=310328</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Defence ministry says it only has control over army’s administrative matters, cannot comment on its statements.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The army chief has reiterated his stand on the memo controversy, stating that there is truth to the document.   

And while the Supreme Court wanted a concrete reply from the federal government on the accusations put forward in the Memogate case by various parties, including the military and intelligence chiefs, it got one late Wednesday night.

The ministry of defence has told the Supreme Court that it has no control over the Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), except simple administrative matters. Hence, it said, it was not in a position to confirm or deny what the two were saying. It also asked the court to not press ahead with the petition.

On Monday, a nine-judge bench of the court had asked all the petitioners and respondents to submit affidavits “to clear cobwebs” left hanging over the political scandal. Each respondent was to reply to the initial statements made by the others in the case.

While Nawaz Sharif and army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani submitted their statements earlier in the day, the ministry of defence and ISI Chief Shuja Pasha submitted their replies around midnight.

President Asif Ali Zardari once again chose not to file a statement with the court, despite the chief justice’s remarks on Monday to the attorney general that further presidential silence would lead the court to an “adverse presumption”.

Meanwhile, the DG ISI submitted a rejoinder, unlike Gen Kayani. His reply focuses on the veracity of the outcome of Mansoor Ijaz’s meeting with him. He had earlier stated that anti-ISI rhetoric obliged him to visit London to see Ijaz. He felt the evidence on memo was overwhelming.

The message sent to the Supreme Court from Sharif and Gen Kayani continues to be simple: bring to book the players in the Memogate affair.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president and the Chief of Army Staff are on the same page, at least in the respect that the memo certainly exists. Both urged the SC to “fully examine the facts” and expose those responsible.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudary is not the only one calling for Zardari to engage in the Memogate case and clear his name. Nawaz Sharif, in his rejoinder to former Ambassador Husain Haqqani’s reply, also urged the president to comply.

“The respondent [Haqqani] and even Mr Zardari now have an ample and clear opportunity provided to them through this petition to clear their names of the allegations internationally levelled against them,” read Sharif’s statement.

Doubt about the part played by former US national security adviser Gen (retd) James Jones was also rolled into Sharif’s rejoinder. “It is anybody’s guess that while being used as a channel, a person of the stature of Mr Jones would check up whether the serious affair in which he was being used was genuine or was it a fake affair,” the statement read.

Sharif piled on the allegations against Haqqani – even accusing him of contempt of court by accusing the SC of “having been affected by emotions rather than due process of law.” Sharif’s rejoinder egged on the court, stating: “Such a slander of this learned court is contempt of the highest order and warrants serious notice and action by this august court.”

Sharif also asked the court to examine in depth the alleged evidence ISI chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha gathered after his meeting with Mansoor Ijaz in London.

For his affidavit, the army chief reproduced the reply filed earlier in the court: that he had advised Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to establish the details of the memo as soon as possible, as well as recommending that Haqqani be called in to answer for his part in the scandal. “The memo episode has an impact on national security and lowers the morale of the Pakistan Army.”

The proceedings resume on Thursday (today).

(Read: A way out of the memogate mess)

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/310328-Supremecourt-1324500238/310328-Supremecourt-1324500238.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Memogate case: Kayani submits rejoinder, says Haqqani sent memo</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/309830/memogate-case-kayani-submits-rejoinder-says-haqqani-sent-memo</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/309830/memogate-case-kayani-submits-rejoinder-says-haqqani-sent-memo#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 21 Dec 11 13:57:07 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=309830</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Army chief says he had asked Gilani on November 13 to call Haqqani back for inquiry and clarify their position.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Wednesday said in his rejoinder to the Supreme Court that Husain Haqqani had sent a memo via Mansoor Ijaz, Express News reported.

Kayani’s reply also stated that Director General (DG) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Ahmed Shuja Pasha briefed him about the memo on October 24.

Army chief’s reply further stated that he requested Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on November 13 to call Haqqani back for an inquiry and clarify their position.

The court’s nine-member bench had earlier asked the army chief and DG ISI to submit their response to replies submitted by Haqqani, Ijaz and the government.

Nawaz Sharif’s reply

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif in his rejoinder stated that since no one had denied the existence of the memo, an inquiry into this matter is necessary.

“It is a matter of public interest and the people of Pakistan should know who did what and why?” the reply stated.

Nawaz’s reply also said that the meeting between the DG ISI and Ijaz is also known to everyone now and even the conversation between them is public.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/309830-kyaniafp-1324474577/309830-kyaniafp-1324474577.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Memogate issue: No polygraph for Haqqani, says LHC</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/308860/memogate-issue-no-polygraph-for-haqqani-says-lhc</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/308860/memogate-issue-no-polygraph-for-haqqani-says-lhc#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 19 Dec 11 16:49:40 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Punjab]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=308860</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The petition also wanted Husain Haqqani to declare all his national and foreign assets.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday dismissed a petition seeking court orders for using a polygraph during the investigation into the memogate issue.

The petition also wanted Husain Haqqani to declare all his national and foreign assets.

During an earlier hearing, Justice Umar Ata Bandial of the LHC directed petitioner’s counsel Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafree to convince the court that a lie detector was a reliable method of discerning between truth and falsehood.

As the proceeding started on Monday, the petitioner’s counsel failed to convince the court on using the polygraph.

Additionally he could not provide proofs regarding his allegations that Haqqani wasted public money in unsuccessful defence of Dr Aafia Siddiqui in US courts.

Jafree, however argued that many developed countries had been using the polygraph in high profile cases and insisted that the machine gave best results.

After recording Jafree’s arguments, Justice Bandial reserved the decision.

Iftikhar Rajpoot had filed this petition through Barrister Jafree. Interior Minister Rehman Malik, opposition leader in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Attorney General of Pakistan Maulvi Anwarul Haq and Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi were named as respondents in it.

Rajpoot had accused Haqqani of sending a “derogatory letter” to the former US military chief Mike Mullen through a US-based Pakistani businessman Mansoor Ijaz against the Pakistan army and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).

By doing this, Rajpoot accused that Haqqani has tarnished the image of both Pakistan and its armed forces.

The petitioner had also pleaded that Haqqani was appointed ambassador to Sri Lanka against merit during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure as prime minister. But Haqqani then changed his loyalties and became a member of PPP.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/308860-lhc-1324312548/308860-lhc-1324312548.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>The great survivor bows out</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/298477/the-great-survivor-bows-out</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/298477/the-great-survivor-bows-out#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 27 Nov 11 16:53:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[anwer.mooraj]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=298477</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Haqqani has met his comeuppance at the conclusion of a dreary, sordid affair by taking the rap for somebody else.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[It has finally happened. Husain Haqqani has met his comeuppance at the conclusion of a dreary, sordid affair by taking the rap for somebody else. In the process he has become an accomplice to his own annihilation. He was persuaded to resign his post as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, marking a messy and unappetising compendium of political leftovers. Perhaps nemesis has finally caught up with him. But it would be a mistake to write him off. He is a great survivor, who will bounce back.

Husain Haqqani is the kind of chap about whom one can write a book. It would perforce be a treatise on how it is possible for a man who had neither the advantage of birth nor parentage, who switched political loyalties at the drop of a hat and ended up as an envoy to the world’s only superpower. Haqqani’s rise in the murky field of Pakistani politics started at university when he joined the Islami Jamiat-e-Tulaba, the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, known for its brutal attacks on free speech and everything that the founder of the nation believed in. He was seen as being an active participant in the assault on civil liberties.

Sensing a golden opportunity just before the elections of 1985, conspicuous for its absence of liberal and progressive political parties, he appeared on the telly, righteous and unequivocal and came to the attention of Ziaul Haq. An excellent analyst who had followed the career of this maverick politician and who wrote under the pseudonym of PM, had this to say in his brilliant and incisive comments on Haqqani’s book, which sketched the alleged association between the Pakistan military and the mullahs — Unholy Alliance. “…There was Mr Haqqani at his most articulate, lauding the farcical exercise as if it was the best thing that had happened to the country since its birth. Indeed, his laudatory commentary on the 1985 elections won him a front seat in the club of those who make a career out of legitimising dictatorships.”

The 1985 national election, which was boycotted by all sensible parties did incalculable damage to the democratic cause, introduced waves of intolerance and destroyed the political fabric of the country. Haqqani, nevertheless, became the blue-eyed boy of Ziaul Haq. After Zia’s death, Haqqani tagged along with Zia’s protégé, Nawaz Sharif from 1988 to 1993. And then, one fine morning in 1993, he had an irresistible urge to serve the Daughter of the East and quickly switched loyalties. He even did a stint in jail in 1999, an essential qualification for holding public office. In a sense, he is the true Pakistani politician, opportunist, looking for short-cuts with no sense of political loyalty.

After throwing in the towel, Haqqani said in an email message: “I have resigned to bring closure to this meaningless controversy threatening our fledgling democracy. A transparent inquiry will strengthen the hands of elected leaders whom I have always strived to empower as per our constitution. It will bring to rest wild conspiracy theories.”

A decently-worded resignation. However, no inquiry that has been conducted in this country has ever been truly transparent. And even if a results surface, no action is ever taken. Haqqani should take a breather, go to Acapulco for a holiday and wait for the Imran Khan tornado to hit the country. As ambassador, he served his country well through exceptionally difficult times. As for Mansoor Ijaz, who has been playing both sides of the net, the Erinyes will soon sort him out.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/298477-AnwerMoorajNew-1322404194/298477-AnwerMoorajNew-1322404194.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Military 1, Democracy 0</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296926/military-1-democracy-0</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296926/military-1-democracy-0#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 24 Nov 11 18:31:41 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[ali.k.chishti]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=296926</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Memogate indicates that while civilians have to prove their patriotism, the military remains unquestioned.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The memogate scandal — which had been brewing for some time and went viral with Mansoor Ijaz publically naming Husain Haqqani, the Pakistani ambassador to Washington — might as well have been the equivalent of the Lawyers Movement and Lal Masjid combined for the PPP-led democratically-elected government. While there are lots of questions which need answers, the issue seems to have been blown out of proportion by obvious actors who wanted to capitalise on the situation and undermine and hijack certain aspects of democracy. After speaking to various stakeholders including the Americans, Mansoor Ijaz and even security personnel, I am convinced that Husain Haqqani indeed wrote that controversial memo. However, before passing judgment, one needs to understand very dispassionately that this particular memo was written just after US-Pakistan relations were at their lowest point post the OBL assassination and that this is not the first memo ever written by a Pakistani to the US.

A detailed look at the memo reveals nothing shocking and, in fact, it appears that it was a desperate attempt to save US-Pakistan relations and establish a new social contract between the two countries which went terribly wrong. Interestingly, points one and two in the memo promised to form an independent committee — like the 9/11 commission — to probe the OBL fiasco, which incidentally was implemented with the approval of the military. The second point said: “It is certain that the OBL commission will result in immediate termination of active service officers in the appropriate government offices and agencies found responsible for complicity in assisting OBL” — a valid promise which is indeed also in the interests of the Pakistani military, as the military itself had been trying to purge the force from radicals within. Point three talked about establishing a “new national security team” and allowing US personnel to carry out raids and handing over al Qaeda members and other fugitives, something which the military had been doing since 9/11 by allowing drone attacks and joint raids (such as the one that led to the arrest of Mullah Baradar in Karachi). The fourth point, which was widely criticised, said that “the new national security team is prepared with full backing of the Pakistani government — initially civilian but eventually all three powers centres — to develop an acceptable framework of discipline for the nuclear programme”. Calls for bringing the nuclear assets under “a more verifiable, transparent regime” one widely misunderstood since General (r) Khalid Kidwai had been in charge of the command and control authority and the memo was reflecting a deep fear of potential stealth raids on the country’s nuclear assets. Compare this to General Pervez Musharraf who had transformed the nuclear command and control authority to please a foreign power. Or Dr AQ Khan who was involved in the proliferation of our strategic weapons for financial gain? Husain Haqqani comes across as a saint and a small fry.

Point five was about eliminating the ISI’s S section, something which needs to be discussed and debated. Finally, the last point talked about “bringing all perpetrators of Pakistani origin to account for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, whether outside government or inside any part of government including it’s intelligence agencies”. This, too, would seem to be a legitimate point which the Pakistani government has always advocated.

Finally, one should understand that this particular memo had been the first one drafted by a civilian, as all such drafts had previously been prepared by uniformed officers, and this obviously didn’t go down well with the military — and perhaps that explains its reaction. Husain Haqqani expectedly resigned on November 22 but he will remain a living martyr for democracy. Sherry Rehman’s appointment as the new ambassador shows that President Zardari and the PPP will remain in government, but the memogate scandal itself is indicative of how civilians have to prove their loyalty to this country every day, while uniformed soldiers not only remain unquestioned, but wear badges of patriotism.

Military 1, Democracy 0.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/296926-AliKChishtiNew-1322144421/296926-AliKChishtiNew-1322144421.JPG" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Farewell to Haqqani: US lauds ousted Pakistani diplomat</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296852/farewell-to-haqqani-us-lauds-ousted-pakistani-diplomat</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296852/farewell-to-haqqani-us-lauds-ousted-pakistani-diplomat#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 24 Nov 11 05:05:09 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=296852</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Mark Toner says State Dept appreciated Husain Haqqani's support for US-Pakistan relations.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The United States on Wednesday praised the service of Pakistani ambassador Husain Haqqani, ousted after being accused of urging the Americans to stop the Pakistani military from seizing power.

Spokesman Mark Toner said the State Department had not yet received formal notification from Pakistan about Haqqani's resignation and his replacement, but acknowledged Islamabad's appointment of democracy advocate Sherry Rehman as the new envoy.

"We certainly look forward to working together with her as we continue to build a strong, cooperative relationship between our two countries," Toner said.

"We have appreciated Ambassador Haqqani's strong support for US-Pakistan relations throughout his tenure."

Haqqani was forced to quit on Tuesday following claims he was behind a memo asking then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, admiral Mike Mullen, to help prevent a military coup after the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

The memo was revealed by US businessman Mansoor Ijaz in an opinion piece in Britain's Financial Times on October 10.

Haqqani has denied any wrongdoing, and his departure was seen as forced by the military with US-Pakistani relations as fraught as ever.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/296852-husainhaqqaniAFP-1322110884/296852-husainhaqqaniAFP-1322110884.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>The moral ambiguities of our time</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296368/the-moral-ambiguities-of-our-time</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296368/the-moral-ambiguities-of-our-time#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 23 Nov 11 17:32:27 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[khurram.husain]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=296368</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Having seen such affairs in the past, the first question in the ‘memogate’ business is this: who has the story?]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[“I would have preferred an assassin’s bullet,” roared the man nominated to be a judge of the US Supreme Court. It was the fall of 1991, and I recall being struck by the intense, and often vicious, questioning that Clarence Thomas was put through as part of his nomination hearings for the Supreme Court of the United States.

The last time I had seen such rigorous public scrutiny of the actions of a single man was during the hearings of Oliver North, during the so-called Iran-Contra scandal that was investigated by Congress in 1987. I remember those hearings, which were televised, in which North was questioned repeatedly about whether or not he lied to Congress, about whether or not his actions violated US law, about whether or not he undertook his actions in connivance with higher officials, like John Poindexter and Robert McFarlane.

Intense and rigorous scrutiny of this sort carries some merit: it lays bare the operations of government for all to see and opens a window into the moral ambiguities of the time. Oliver North’s televised depositions before Congress may not have bagged us a villain, but they certainly exposed the villainy of Reagan’s team and the depths to which they were willing to sink to carry forward their paradoxical fight against the USSR, paradoxical because it broke and circumvented and subverted the very laws that it was fighting to protect. None of the participants who were touched by that scandal could ever serve in public office again, and for what it might be worth, America’s reliance on covert wars — on ‘plausible deniability’ — as a tool of statecraft was rolled back in the wake of the affair. All of America’s wars subsequently would be fought out in the open, in the full light of day.

Thomas’ hearings, and the Anita Hill affair, exposed the complex play of identity politics that would come to define the 1990s so much. The hearings saw the politics of race pitted against the politics of gender. A race orthodoxy borne of the civil rights movement was challenged by a newer — some would say upstart — generation of black men who had made it within the system and now sought respectability as men, and not ‘black men’.

Having seen such affairs in the past, the first question I want to ask in the ‘memogate’ business is this: who has the story? And here, at the very first question, Mansoor Ijaz fails, because he has changed his story so many times now it’s hard to keep up.

Why did he first choose to participate in such a mission, only to go public later? At one point he tells us it is because he was offended by the treatment being given out to Admiral Mullen by the Pakistani media. How exactly this disclosure helps Admiral Mullen he does not explain. At another point, he tells us he went public to protect democracy in Pakistan, although his actions and allegations have damaged democracy more than anything else. At yet another place he tells us that he hates the ISI, he calls on the Americans to stop the dealings with the Pakistani government, to adopt more robust terms of engagement than aid and persuasion. And then he has a secret meeting with the DG ISI in London, to ‘share the evidence’ in his possession. Did he take the opportunity of this private meeting with the DG to share his views on the infamous S section?

In this case, as in every case of this sort, the stories told by accuser and accused must dovetail with existing political currents for the drama to become a national affair. Just like North’s invocation of ‘patriotic duty,’ and Thomas’ invocations of race dovetailed with the political battles taking shape in America in those days, so the story told by Mansur Ijaz in his accusation, and the one told by Haqqani in his defence, have dovetailed with the political currents taking shape in pre-election Pakistan.

Haqqani says he is being targeted for his vigorous defence of civilian democracy in Pakistan. If this is the case, then we have a fiendishly diabolical plot on our hands. We know that a memo containing hair-raising offers was sent to the highest levels of the American military in the immediate aftermath of the Abbottabad raid. Did somebody sit down and plot Haqqani’s downfall in those heady days? I doubt it.

If the memo was not sent at the initiative of the civilian government, then whose initiative was it, and what did they hope to achieve? We know that the memo was delivered the day before a meeting at the White House between the national security team of Pakistan and the US government. Perhaps those who remained blissfully ignorant of Osama bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad were now desperate to know what was in the mind of the American government following the raid. Lacking any other channel through which to test the waters, maybe a fiendish plot of this sort was concocted, a willing go-between found in the person of Mansoor Ijaz, and the infamous memo was sent just to see what response might come back down the same channel? If so, then Mullen and Leon Panetta showed admirable sagacity in thinking “nothing of it” rather than biting the bait.

The stories coming out of the memogate affair have dovetailed neatly with the moral ambiguities of our time. The story told by the accuser gives us a civilian democratic government, desperate to bring Pakistan into the fold of international law, breaking every covenant of its own oath of office in order to carry forward its paradoxical fight. The story told by the accused, on the other hand, gives us an establishment desperate to remain in the shadows, caught harbouring the world’s most-wanted criminal, and seeking to settle domestic scores in order to maintain its grip on the country’s destiny.

Unfortunately for us though, the affair is hardly likely to shed any new light on the operations of our government. All it does is reveal, for the umpteenth time, who is guided by what prejudice in this decades-long struggle that has become the defining feature of our polity.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24th, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/296368-KhurramHusainNew-1322059427/296368-KhurramHusainNew-1322059427.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Memento mori</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296361/memento-mori</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296361/memento-mori#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 23 Nov 11 17:11:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[sami.shah]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=296361</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[One wonders what an intelligent man like Haqqani was doing talking to Mansoor Ijaz, lifetime achievement flip-flopper.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Mansoor Ijaz is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, shaped like the winner of a Ziaul Haq lookalike contest. The one-time recipient of All-American weightlifting status and owner and CEO of a variety of companies, all without web presences of any kind, is a confusing creature. A glance at his public stances show a pathological habit of switching allegiances. In the 90s, he was vocally pro-Benazir and shortly after was vehemently critical of her government. Up to 2000, he made sizeable campaign donations to the Democratic party before switching allegiance to the Bush government post-9/11. In between, he loved Clinton, then hated him. He has been an analyst on Fox News throughout the run-up to the Iraq War, even though none of his predictions of weapons of mass destruction and al Qaeda links with Saddam had any element of truth. And most recently, he has written repeatedly about how critical he is of the Pakistan military intervening in the democratic process and then has given them the tools to do just that. Given how frequently he changes his mind, it’s a miracle he manages to leave the house with any matching clothes on. So is he someone being employed by the ISI to keep contacts with the White House? Or is he one of those people the CIA and the State Department use to ‘leak’ information or plant stories that help them achieve deeper goals? Maybe he is evidence of some grand conspiracy run by the All-American Weightlifters Association to keep the meek forever off balance. Perhaps, he is a bit of all those things. A man who has carefully positioned himself in the corridors of power, to allow himself access to decision-makers so he can feel important and relevant. Once you get famous, it’s hard to go back to being not so. Given the paucity of television appearances recently, he may have just found a way to get back in the public narrative.

This makes you wonder what our now-former-ambassador Husain Haqqani was doing talking to him. Haqqani seems reasonably intelligent. At the very least, the memo that Ijaz claims is his, seems too poorly written to have come from his desk. If it did indeed originate there though, it makes sense. In the wake of the Abbottabad Incident, the army was capable of doing anything to save face. If you tell someone standing knee-deep in filth of their own making that they might drown, their instinctive reaction will be to grab something to hold on to. In the past, that’s been the reins of power. So for the civilian government to worry is understandable. To blame them would be like blaming a victim of domestic abuse for shielding her face the next time her punch-drunk husband raises his hand. So why would an intelligent man like Haqqani entrust the message to the recipient of the lifetime achievement award for Flip-flopping. Perhaps, Haqqani is just a poor judge of character. He is, after all, also a close friend of President Zardari’s. It happens to the best of us.

So what now? The ambassador has gracefully resigned, under pressure from the military leadership. The same leadership that didn’t resign when Bin Laden was found sharing blankets with them and was killed by a Seal taskforce that snuck into our country despite us giving them everything short of our teeth fillings so they can guarantee the sanctity of our borders. The next ambassador will, no doubt, be more compliant as will the civilian government come next election. America has also, perhaps, proven that it has the best interests of our military at heart by confirming the existence of the memo, thus guaranteeing a better working arrangement. Maybe there are more memos being held hostage?

All that’s left to ask is what Mansoor Ijaz thinks of all this. And then instantly putting stock in the opposite.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24th, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/296361-SamiShahNew-1322059331/296361-SamiShahNew-1322059331.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Husain Haqqani resignation is 'internal issue': US</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296258/husain-haqqani-resignation-is-internal-issue-us</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296258/husain-haqqani-resignation-is-internal-issue-us#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 23 Nov 11 07:24:40 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=296258</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[United States praises Haqqani as &quot;a very close partner.&quot;]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The White House said Tuesday that the resignation of Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, was an "internal issue" for Pakistan but praised him as "a very close partner."

"We, as we have said, see this very much as an internal issue relative to Pakistan," Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes told reporters.

"He's been a very close partner, of course, with the United States and we've appreciated the work we've done with him. But at the same time we're certain that we'll be able to work with whomever the next Pakistani ambassador is."

Pakistan's government said earlier that it had asked Haqqani to resign and ordered a probe into claims that he sought American help against the country's military.

Haqqani, a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari, has played a key role in helping Pakistan's civilian government navigate turbulent relations with Washington which nosedived over the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, who has played a key role in often rocky relations between the two uneasy allies, said in a statement he was "sorry to learn" of Haqqani's resignation.

"He was a strong advocate for his country and the Pakistani people. I respect the Pakistani government's decision, but Ambassador Haqqani's wisdom and insights will be missed here in Washington as we continue to work through the ups and downs of our relationship," said the Democratic lawmaker.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/296258-HusainHaqqaniAFP-1322032766/296258-HusainHaqqaniAFP-1322032766.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>End of the road for Haqqani?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296140/end-of-the-road-for-haqqani</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296140/end-of-the-road-for-haqqani#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 23 Nov 11 04:14:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[nusrat.javeed]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=296140</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Sherry’s promotion by this MNA did not motivate me to imagine her as our ambassador in Washington.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[I reached the parliament house at around 5:45 pm Tuesday. The route I normally take to arrive was dotted with security detail that clearly indicated the presence of Chief of Army Staff, either at the presidency or the prime minister’s office. The appearances confused me; because, around 40 minutes ago tickers at various 24/7 channels had been claiming that the much awaited de-briefing of Hussain Haqqani that both the president and the prime minister were to watch in presence of the chief of army staff was over for the day.

Some tickers also claimed that very ‘tough’ questions were put to Haqqani. Without clearly telling who originally drafted these questions, the tickers also reported that our Alpha General himself vetted final version of the questionnaire, presumably prepared for Haqqani.

At around 6:35 pm, I specially sneaked out of the parliament house and the security detail was still there. No credible source could take the phone to clear my mind. Some low level minions did tell that a high level defence and security-connected delegation had come from the UK. It called on the prime minister. Our generals must also have joined the meeting. Perhaps after the said meeting the PM and the rest went to the presidency.

Farahnaz Ispahani was again present in the house. She also spoke on a point of order and her body language conveyed OK kind of vibes. Notwithstanding her confidence-communicating vibes, most ruling party legislators were also found sharing jokes and engaged in carefree
banters. After talking to some in the lobby, I gathered the feeling that they strongly believe that the fuss over ‘memogate’ is now abating. Things were fast turning to their normal rhythm.

Instead of discussing the fate of Haqqani and its consequences for President Zardari many were rather found sadistically enjoying “what has happened to our legal eagle (Dr Babar Awan) in the Supreme Court this morning.” When probed, they gleefully reported the grilling remarks from the bench.

A practicing lawyer amongst them was doubly happy over another development. He seriously believed that Awan loved to appear in defence of the government, “not with the intent to win the case on merit. What really tempt him are the DSNGs placed outside the court, when high-profile cases are being heard by the apex court. After appearing in the court, he walks to cameras with designer’s shades to spin potent sound bites.”

Staying true to his habit, Babar Awan had passed certain remarks Monday that annoyed the bench. He has now been formally asked by the bench to keep quiet, when reporters ask him to comment on proceedings in the court. The same person also mentioned a staggering-sounding amount that he claimed Awan would charge for speaking for the government in NRO-review petition. I am not quoting the amount for not getting the confirmation of it from a source one could trust.

While savouring the sadistic pleasure over the presumed “humiliation of Awan in the Supreme Court,” another well-informed PPP MNA suggested to me in intriguing whispers that journalists should start watching Ms Sherry Rehman, “when pondering over the void that the Haqqani-issue may create in the end.”

Despite my anxious probing, he refused to say more on the subject, but while parting informed me that the article that appeared with the byline of President Zardari, a day after the killing of Osama on May 2, was written by Haqqani. It surely was not news for me. But he went on to explain that both Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan ruthlessly exploited the tone and tenor of that article to lynch the government. President Zardari felt very upset with that and as if to manage the damage, asked Ms Rehman to draft another article that protested to Americans for blaming Pakistan for many bad things under the sun. Sherry’s promotion by this MNA did not motivate me to imagine her as our ambassador in Washington. Something else is definitely in the offing. I have some inkling of it. Yet, one must keep quiet unless doubly confirmed. Being a former journalist, Sherry Rehman is a dear friend after all and I do not want to spoil the chances of her bouncing back on the power scene with a bang.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/296140-NusratJaveednew-1321993579/296140-NusratJaveednew-1321993579.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Memogate: Ambassador out, but controversy rages on</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296084/memogate-ambassador-out-but-controversy-rages-on</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296084/memogate-ambassador-out-but-controversy-rages-on#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 23 Nov 11 00:53:25 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[kamran.yousaf]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=296084</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Haqqani resigns, PM orders investigation.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The controversial memo that sought to rein in the country’s military establishment, authentic or not, has taken its first casualty – a civilian.


Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani resigned from his post on Tuesday following a meeting attended by the president, the prime minister, and the army and intelligence chiefs.

“I have requested PM Gilani to accept my resignation,” Haqqani, accused of drafting a memo that sought US assistance to rein in Pakistan’s military establishment, said in a Twitter post shortly after the meeting.

Resigned, or asked to resign

Haqqani’s implicit claim of submitting a resignation voluntarily was promptly contradicted by the Prime Minister House.

A statement issued by the premier’s office shortly afterwards said Haqqani was asked to submit his resignation, in order to pave the way for proper investigation.

Meanwhile, in an apparent attempt to defuse tensions between the civilian and military leadership, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani ordered a detailed investigation “at an appropriate level”.

The statement, however, did not elaborate which forum would probe this matter.

“All concerned would be afforded sufficient and fair opportunity to present their views,” the premier’s spokesperson said. No timeframe, however, was given regarding the investigations.

Out, but not down

Despite submitting his resignation, Haqqani remained adamant that he had nothing to do with the memo.

“I have resigned to bring closure to this meaningless controversy threatening our fledgling democracy,” Haqqani said in a statement released after his resignation.

“I still maintain that I did not conceive, write or distribute the memo,” Haqqani said, adding that the resignation was “not about the memo ... this is about bigger things.”

Sources close to Haqqani claim he put a strong fight when quizzed jointly by the civilian and military leadership.

He raised several questions in his defence at the meeting, particularly regarding the meeting between Director General ISI Lt. General Ahmed Shuja Pasha and Mansoor Ijaz in London, sources added.

The ISI chief, however, brought out ‘evidence’ and findings of the investigation the agency conducted to prove the authenticity of the memo, and the role played by Haqqani, sources said.

Venue raises eyebrows

Unlike the previous sittings of the troika at the presidency, the meeting of the top civil and military leadership on Tuesday took place at the Prime Minister House.

It was the first time that President Asif Ali Zardari went to the PM House for a formal meeting of the country’s top leadership, despite being the supreme commander of the armed forces.

The venue change set the capital’s speculation mill in motion, with some terming it ominous due to the president’s alleged role in the controversy, that may also have been in question. When Ijaz cited Haqqani as his source for the memo, he claimed it was drafted with the president’s ‘blessings’.

“I do not believe today that Zardari had any knowledge of the specifics of the memo … I do believe he gave a blanket approval to Haqqani,” Ijaz had claimed earlier in an interview.

Ijaz ‘welcomes’ resignation

Ijaz, in his reaction on Haqqani’s resignation, said he respected the decision of its acceptance, a television channel reported.

He also welcomed the announcement of launching a high-level investigation.

In a statement, Ijaz said that Pakistani agencies had asked him to cooperate “in order to dig out the truth”. He said he would extend his help, if contacted by the government of Pakistan. Sources added that Ijaz may be arriving in Pakistan late Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, sources said the government is considering several candidates as Haqqani’s successor, including former ISI chief General (retd) Ahsaan, former envoy to US Abida Hussain, Pakistan’s permanent representative to UN Hussain Haroon and Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir.

Opposition prepares petition

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is likely to file a petition in the Supreme Court on the issue of secrete memo today (Wednesday).

Sources told The Express Tribune that the party’s legal team has compiled the petition which is likely to be filed today.  When contacted for confirmation, PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal confirmed completion of the petition. It has been compiled following PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif’s announcement at the Faisalabad rally, Iqbal said. Nawaz had said that his party would approach the court if there is no impartial inquiry into the event.

(Read: Memogate claims its first victim)

With additional input from Reuters.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/296084-Haqani-1322008617/296084-Haqani-1322008617.JPG" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Analysis: A sting operation?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296170/analysis-a-sting-operation</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/296170/analysis-a-sting-operation#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 23 Nov 11 00:34:49 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[muhammad.ziauddin]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=296170</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[A serious confrontation could be developed between the security institutions and the political government.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[If I know Hussain Haqqani, I don’t think this is curtains for him. I have found him to be a great survivor. However, let me digress a little and recall another incident here to give a context to the ensuing developments.


When Raymond Davis, an American with dubious diplomatic credentials, was caught red-handed killing two Pakistanis in broad daylight in Lahore and then proceeded against under the law of the land, all the three branches of the US government closed ranks and came to his defence with one voice certifying the questionable immunity of a mole known to be a CIA contractor.

Now let us compare this cohesive US response to a decidedly open and shut case with that of Pakistan’s bizarre position in the still to be investigated Memogate case with most of us baying for the blood of an accredited diplomat. What was the need for the hyped-up and well-publicised troika meetings at the presidency? Why was an officer of Gen. Shuja Pasha’s rank sent to London to meet a dubious US character to investigate the matter? And why the thundering silence of the security chiefs on Sunday and Monday following Haqqani’s arrival in Islamabad. All this provided the ‘desired’ grist to the rumour mill that a serious confrontation has developed between the security institutions and the political government adding to the fears of an impending covert or overt army takeover. Inspired perhaps by Mansoor Ijaz’s claim that the ISI chief after their meeting in London had fallen for his story hook, line and sinker, the ‘ghairat brigade’ in the establishment and the media was back in action in full force. The brigade appears convinced that Haqqani has compromised Pakistan’s ‘ghairat’ by requesting through a still to be verified memo delivered by a US citizen to a retiring US military general to allegedly help the civilian government in cutting the army and ISI to size and bringing our nuclear assets under the ‘protective custody’ of Washington.

I am no admirer of Mr. Haqqani’s modus operandi. And notwithstanding some of his sterling achievements in his career I think our relations with Washington tumbled down to the very bottom during his three-year tenure. I know him since the days when as a youthful journalist he had become very close to the then military dictator, Gen. Ziaul Haq. His political flip-flops are legendary. As a member of the Islami Jamiat-i-Tulba (student wing of Jamat-i-Islami), he was elected as the president of Karachi University’s student union in 1979-80.  After Gen. Zia’s demise he first joined forces with Nawaz, before switching over to Benazir Bhutto.

After her second ouster, he is said to have applied for the top information job in the Musharraf regime. Having been rebuffed by one of the dictator’s minions, he set sail for the US, where he made it really good for himself and made his services available to Ms. Bhutto and her spouse for developing contacts in Washington and networking with the top US leadership. He was therefore, a natural choice of the government for the ambassadorial job in the US when the PPP-led coalition came to power after the 2008 elections.

But I was intrigued because in his book, Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military he had said things about the army which I thought the institution would find impossible to forget and forgive. So, I asked him when I met him in London soon after he was nominated for the job. He did not deny resistance from powerful circles back in Rawalpindi to his appointment but declared in his typical nonchalant manner that he could take care of the challenges on this front.

I have never written about Mr. Haqqani either critically or in praise, though I have been one of his bitter critics to his face. But to his credit, he has always taken my criticism with his characteristic poise and never failed to greet me with extra warmth whenever we met. But I always found it difficult to match his warmth half suspecting his sincerity.

Still, I don’t think the former ambassador deserved the kind of treatment that has been meted out to him by the ‘ghairat brigade’ within our establishment and the media. Even if all the allegations that are being levelled against him by an ordinary US citizen are true I would have preferred to send Gen. Pahsa to Washington to meet Haqqani or awaited his return to Pakistan to get his version first rather than make the spy chief go all the way to London to meet Ijaz who according to Mr. Bruce Riedal, former CIA officer has a “long record of fabricating false information and self promotion”. This very act of Gen. Pasha has by default given a measure of respectability to Ijaz’s version of the episode and made Mr. Haqqani’s position suspect in the eyes of unsuspecting masses.

Such matters should never be the concern of the security establishment in the first place. They are better left to the civilian government to sort out. And the ‘ghairat brigade’ needs to stop frothing at the mouth and stop crying wolf at the drop of a hat.

(Read: Demystifying memogate)

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/296170-Haqqani-1322006955/296170-Haqqani-1322006955.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Memogate claims its first victim</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295862/memogate-claims-its-first-victim</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295862/memogate-claims-its-first-victim#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 22 Nov 11 18:53:17 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=295862</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The immediate impact for Pakistan will be a vacuum in Washington DC, the most important foreign capital for Pakistan.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The resignation of Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani was perhaps what was needed to close the chapter on the ‘memogate’ controversy. While he maintained that he had no role in authoring or sending the said secret memo, the government and (let’s not beat about the bush) the military thought otherwise. One version of events has it that the prime minister asked for the resignation, so that any independent inquiry that were to follow would be outside the possible influence of the ambassador. Haqqani, however announced on the microblogging site Twitter that he had offered his resignation and asked the government to accept it. However, until an independent inquiry is conducted, as indeed should be the case, one won’t be able to comment on Haqqani’s role in the whole affair.

The immediate impact for Pakistan will be a vacuum in Washington DC, arguably the most important foreign capital for Pakistan (as would be for most other nations). Haqqani’s shoes, however, may be difficult to fill because if anything, he was good at his job and was reputed to have direct access to senior Congressional leaders as well as top officials in the Obama administration. He was also well-connected in the think-tank and lobbying circuit, which was certainly an asset given the nature of his role.

As for the other protagonist in ‘memogate’, Mansoor Ijaz, reportedly he is no angel either. Certain questions surrounding his role need answers as well. For instance, what made him go public with his claims on the memo and its authorship? Why did he see fit to meet, as reported in a section of the media (and not denied) with the head of the ISI and present the ‘evidence’ to him? Wouldn’t it have been better to submit this before an inquiry or the prime minister? Of course, if the memo was indeed sent, it was a very ham-handed and downright silly way of reining in the country’s powerful military. The principle, that a democratic nation’s military be subordinate and under the control of an elected civilian government is something that needs to be implemented in Pakistan as well but that will happen only if our elected governments get the foresight and the courage to go about doing this in the correct way: that is, through their electorate and by rallying popular support to this just cause.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/295862-hussainhaqqani-1321987760/295862-hussainhaqqani-1321987760.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Demystifying memogate</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295866/demystifying-memogate</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295866/demystifying-memogate#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 22 Nov 11 18:15:36 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[tanvir.ahmad.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=295866</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Haqqani is much too controversial to handle anymore Pakistan’s most difficult international relationship.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The BBC lady — the long-distance interviewer — began by reminding me that I wrote the first op-ed piece in Pakistan (The Express Tribune, October 16) on Mansoor Ijaz’s ‘disclosures’ in Financial Times about the controversial ‘Pakistani’ memo to Admiral Mullen. I wondered if there was a slight note of disapproval in her voice when I did not endorse the suggestion that the authors of the memo were entitled to American assistance in thwarting yet another military takeover. In reality, no such threat existed and certainly was not the reason for the drafting of the memo.

But then, what was the reason for Ijaz’s exertions during that blighted week of May 2011? Do we know the dramatis personae — the full cast — and not just the political adventurer, Mansoor Ijaz and the unlikely ‘fall guy’, Husain Haqqani? And why did Ijaz blow the whistle so soon by rushing to print? In a rolling story, one can only go by some facts and some conjectures.

One, the memo does exist as a monumental testimony to a crude conspiracy hatched and abandoned in haste. Two, linguistic analysis shows it was not drafted in Islamabad but in the United States, probably by the author of the Financial Times’ op-ed piece. Haqqani’s prose is much more elegant, though one cannot rule out his having ‘tweaked’ it. Determination of his contribution depends on whether the transcript of alleged ‘conversations’ with Ijaz is genuine or an audacious forgery.

We enter the world of conjecture as we ponder the plot further. The OBL curtain-fall was read and projected as a moment of the Pakistan Army’s ultimate humiliation. Presumably, short-sighted friends of Pakistan’s elected government saw in it an opportunity of all times to stage a coup against the army and the ISI with anticipated assistance from Washington. Ideas flew across continents and a mysterious ‘WE’ became the putative authors of a quixotic offer that took in even the skilfully concealed desire to place Pakistan’s nuclear programme under American control. Mansoor Ijaz also sketched the penumbra of the dark plot by suggesting preposterously that Jahangir Karamat and Mahmud Durrani were also on board and available for a new security and foreign policy team. The message to Washington was that the ‘We’ of the memo was a tactical euphemism for Zardari. With its global experience of civil and military establishments, Washington did not take the bait. End of the plot; time for a whistleblower and his inscrutable new motives.

Where does this leave Husain Haqqani? He has always maintained a lobby in Pakistan to advance his limitless ambition and used his intellectual and other gifts to establish a degree of control on President Zardari’s mind that, historically speaking, has brought sovereigns and empires to grief. He can, therefore, ride the storm. But there are several reasons why his present innings should come to a close.

He is much too controversial to handle anymore Pakistan’s most difficult international relationship. I have a large notebook containing extracts on the art of diplomacy from numerous sources, but the one that comes to my mind readily is not from Machiavelli, Metternich or Kissinger, but Spock saying in Star Trek : “I must acknowledge, once and for all, that the purpose of diplomacy is to prolong a crisis”. Surely neither Zardari nor Husain Haqqani would want to do that to the troubled Pakistan-US relations.

Robert Burns once wrote: “Oh would some power the giftie gie us / To see ourselves as others see us / It would from many a blunder free us, and foolish notion.” Right or wrong, most Pakistanis believe that Haqqani has worked for total American hegemony in Pakistan and that he has personally directed a media campaign to trash Pakistan’s China policy. Grossly oversized in his influence, ambition and reach, he has not only completely outgrown the traditional role of an ambassador but has also hobbled Pakistan’s foreign ministers, foreign secretaries and the cabinet. Husain Haqqani should now rise transparently to his full and complex stature by getting elected to parliament to cut Pakistani military and intelligence services to size and leave professional day-to-day diplomacy to lesser beings. Alternatively, he can give himself a sabbatical and write a bestseller.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/295866-TanvirAhmadKhanNew-1321974740/295866-TanvirAhmadKhanNew-1321974740.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Twitter Alert: Bros before memos?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295897/twitter-alert-bros-before-memos</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295897/twitter-alert-bros-before-memos#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 22 Nov 11 15:48:01 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=295897</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Following Haqqani's tweet that he had tendered his resignation, the Twitter world was sent into frenzy.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[When Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani tweeted that he had asked Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to accept his resignation following Memogate, the Twitter world was sent into frenzy. 

Shortly after it was officially announced that Prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had accepted Haqqani’s resignation.

People across Twitter remained divided over the resignation, with some praising the ambassador even as other attacked him for his involvement in memogate.

Top Tweets

mehreenzahra

PM says Haqqani's resignation important to carry out immediate and independent inquiry

najamsethi

Haqqani has resigned and done the right thing!

gibranp

If the govt thinks this will end with HH's resignation, they are mistaken. The khakis don't stop at the easiest way out.

abbasnasir59

Haqqani says I offered my resignation. PM spox says he was asked to resign. Typical Pakistani pettiness or a sign of something more ominous?

fifiharoon

Saddened to hear of @husainhaqqani s resignation. He is one of the finest people to have ever represented us in an international forum

smokenfog

Dear PPP, this is what happens when you waste the opportunities to make these generals accountable for their incompetence.

KhanDanish_

@husainhaqqani I'm afraid it's checkmate on this one. Your enthusiasm indicates matter was amicably resolved, which is good for Pakistan.

saidation

Pakistan has lost its best ambassador. Thank you for the services &amp; good luck to you for future endeavours @HussainHaqqani

CChristineFair

Some in Pakistan can't/won't appreciate all he did 4 his country. Husain Haqqani resigns as Pakistan's Ambassador 2 US http://t.co/vjptLmgX

sufisal

Amb Haqqani needs to watch @ShomanMansoor 's Bol and gain inspiration from Humaima Malick's character . speak out &amp; make a full disclosure

FiveRupees

What he was alleged to do is a fireable offense. No one can argue. Now, whether he is guilty or not, I don't know. But neither do you.

r_sufi

Bros before memos

jeremyscahill jeremy scahill

oh snap! RT @attackerman Husain Haqqani #stuffwhitepeoplelike]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/295897-husainhaqqani-1321976635/295897-husainhaqqani-1321976635.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Husain Haqqani resigns as Pakistan's Ambassador to US</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295859/husain-haqqani-resigns-as-pakistans-ambassador-to-us</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295859/husain-haqqani-resigns-as-pakistans-ambassador-to-us#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 22 Nov 11 14:56:46 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=295859</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Gilani has accept­ed Hussai­n Haqqan­i's resign­ation after meetin­g with Kayani, DG ISI, Zardar­i at PM house.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday, which was accepted by the premier.

Haqqani tweeted from his twitter account that he requested PM Gilani to accept his resignation for the sake of democracy.
I have requested PM Gilani to accept my resignation as Pakistan Ambasssador to US.
In a subsequent tweet he said that he still had a lot to contribute in building a new Pakistan.
I have much to contribute to building a new Pakistan free of bigotry &amp; intolerance. Will focus energies on that.
Haqqani had served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States since 2008.

In statements released by Haqqani following his resignation, the ambassador said that he had resigned to bring closure to this 'meaningless controversy'. "I have resigned to bring closure to this meaningless controversy threatening our fledgling democracy," he said in a statement released after his resignation.

He added that he was committed to work for Pakistan, "I have served Pakistan and Pakistani democracy to the best of my ability and will continue to do so."

However, in a later statement that he gave to Reuters agency, Haqqani said that he had not resigned over the memo, that there were bigger things underfoot. "This is not about the memo," Haqqani toldReuters, adding, "this is about bigger things."  He declined to comment further.

A PM house spokesperson said that Haqqani had been asked to resign to make the inquiry process transparent. If he is cleared in the inquiry, the ambassador may be reinstated. The resignation did not mean that Haqqani was guilty.

Express 24/7 correspondent Sumera Khan said that her sources had said that the Army was not satisfied and had pressured for a resignation.

Prime Minister has directed a detailed investigation at an appropriate
level to be conducted in to the memo. Meanwhile, the prime minister had asked Pakistan Ambassador to the USA, Hussain Haqqani to submit his resignation so that the investigation can be carried out properly and in transparent manner, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that everyone would be given a chance to present their views in the inquiry and that no one will be deprived of an opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns.

Sources have said that Mansoor Ijaz may be arriving in Pakistan later tonight.

Khan added that the venue for the troika meeting too had been shifted from the Presidency to the Prime Minister house, though no reason was given for the shift.

Memogate background

The controversial memo published online by foreign newspapers and brought to light by Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz was allegedly conveyed to Admiral Mike Mullen by Pakistan’s ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani a week after the Osama bin Laden raid in May. The memo was allegedly sent by President Asif Ali Zardari who, as the memo claimed, feared a military takeover in Pakistan.

The memo referred to “a dangerous devolution of the ground situation in Islamabad where no control appears to be in place”.

It added that if the military does take over, Pakistan may “become a sanctuary for Osama bin Laden’s legacy and potentially the platform for far more rapid spread of al Qaeda’s brand of fanaticism and terror”.

The memo offered the US a greater role in Pakistan's internal affairs in exchange for US help in preventing the military establishment from toppling the civilian government.

Haqqani, who has served as Pakistan’s representative to the US since 2008, denied that he had either drafted or delivered any memo.

Gilani has vehemently denied Zardari’s involvement in the scandal.

_________________________________________________________

[poll id="571"]]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/295859-HussainHaqqani-1321973723/295859-HussainHaqqani-1321973723.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Memogate: Who’s lying to whom – and why?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295743/memogate-who%e2%80%99s-lying-to-whom-%e2%80%93-and-why</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295743/memogate-who%e2%80%99s-lying-to-whom-%e2%80%93-and-why#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 22 Nov 11 01:18:55 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[kamran.yousaf]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=295743</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Ijaz, Haqqani stick to their guns; civil leadership expected to back ambassador during meeting with army, ISI chiefs.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Based solely on the earnestness of their respective assertions, you wouldn’t know who is lying.

As the drama of the Memogate scandal unfolds, both embattled Ambassador Hussain Haqqani and his accuser, Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, continue to vociferously stick to their guns.

What remains to be seen is who will blink first.

In the meantime, away from the glare of the public debate, Haqqani will present his point of view at a much-anticipated meeting between the civilian and military leadership likely to take place today (Tuesday).

President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani are likely to throw their weight behind Haqqani when he is quizzed by Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt General Ahmed Shuja Pasha over his alleged role in the purported secret memo allegedly sent to US officials on his behalf.

Ahead of the high-level meeting, Haqqani held informal meetings with the president on Sunday to convince him that he had no role in the secret memo delivered by Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz in May this year to then US Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen seeking help to rein in the country’s powerful military establishment.

Sources disclosed that Haqqani appears to have convinced the president that ‘Memogate’ was a conspiracy orchestrated by elements who want to destabilise the democratic system.

An official privy to the developments told The Express Tribune that the Presidency has not ruled out the entire episode being a well-thought-out attempt to weaken the civilian administration. A source close to Ambassador Haqqani even went to the extent of pointing fingers at certain elements of the security establishment.

“They (the security establishment) may not have been part of the conspiracy in the beginning, but now they may have decided to jump on the wagon,” the source claimed.

Ijaz is known for his strong anti-Pakistan and anti-military establishment views, the source added, questioning how the DG ISI just went ahead to meet a man with ‘dubious’ credentials.

Haqqani is expected to ask these counter- questions in his defence. A security official, when approached, termed the matter ‘very serious’ suggesting that someone will have to pay the price. “It is not that simple that you just escape by suggesting that this is a conspiracy,” said the official, who asked to remain anonymous.

However, it is said that President Zardari has no intentions to ‘ditch a person who has been the key mediator between him and Washington.’ “Even if Haqqani’s resignation is accepted, he is likely to be accommodated and offered a key government slot,” said a PPP member close to the Presidency.

Meanwhile, Haqqani’s wife Farahnaz Ispahani told reporters on Monday that she and her husband are ready to face any legal action regarding the controversy. Speaking to media outside the Supreme Court, Isphahani, who is also media adviser of the president, said they will sue Ijaz in court for what she called “falsely implicating her husband” if the top PPP leadership permits it.

Ijaz adamant

Ijaz, meanwhile, has alleged that he has known the ambassador for more than 11-12 years and that his claims of having met him three or four times were a “flat lie”. In an exclusive interview with Express 24/7’s Maria Zulfiqar, Ijaz said that the people of Pakistan should ask themselves why such a Herculean effort was being made to cover it all up. Ijaz said that it was a “conspiracy of the making of Haqqani and his boss or bosses”.

Responding to a question on who was “minding” Haqqani, Ijaz said that Zardari was involved. “There is a desperate attempt going on in Pakistan to create a firewall inside the PPP government between Haqqani and the president.”

Ijaz said that the president had explained his problem to Haqqani after the May 2 raid in Abbottabad (which killed Osama bin Laden) and that Haqqani had given his assurance that he would “take care of it”.

“I do not believe today that Zardari had any knowledge of the specifics of the memo … I do believe he gave a blanket approval to Haqqani. “It is very clear Zardari is giving the orders but the question is where instructions to Zardari coming from?”

Ijaz said that the objective of the memo was to get Mullen to make a call to Kayani for a private chat between the two army chiefs to say that “let’s take stock of the situation and calm everyone down”. He said that the objective had been achieved and that the feedback from both sides was the same.

“They can run and hide all they want, the facts are already there. Nobody can challenge my facts,” he added. He said Haqqani had used him because he was a “plausibly deniable” person. He said the option of delivering the message verbally was also there, but the option was too soft for him. “If things went wrong, I would be the only one who would get burned. I am shocked the government of Pakistan is hell bent on covering this up”. He said the government should own up to the memo and say “damn right we wrote the memo, because we were afraid that the boots were coming.”

Responding to a question on when he would go to Pakistan to testify, he said he did not care who called him as long as it was an official process.

(Read: The case of the crooked missive)

(WITH INPUT FROM SHAHERYAR POPALZAI)

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22nd, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/295743-kayaniPashaGilani-1321924528/295743-kayaniPashaGilani-1321924528.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>‘Put Haqqani on ECL, try him for treason’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295487/mullen-memo-scandal-%e2%80%98put-haqqani-on-ecl-try-him-for-treason%e2%80%99</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295487/mullen-memo-scandal-%e2%80%98put-haqqani-on-ecl-try-him-for-treason%e2%80%99#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 21 Nov 11 20:57:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=295487</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Petitioner wants ambassador to take polygraph test.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A writ petition was filed in the Lahore High Court seeking directions to the federal government to place Ambassador Hussain Haqqani’s name on the Exist Control List (ECL).


The petition also asks that high treason proceedings be initiated against Pakistan’s ambassador to the US for violating the Constitution.

Muhammad Iftikhar Hussain Rajpoot has filed the petition through Barrister Iqbal Jaffree.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik, opposition leader in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Attorney General of Pakistan Maulvi Anwarul Haq and Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi have been named as respondents in the petition.

The petition says that Haqqani’s derogatory letter – that he sent through a US-based businessman Mansoor Ijaz – to former US military chief, Mike Mullen had tarnished the image of both Pakistan and its armed forces. It described the letter as an attempt to hand over Pakistan’s sovereignty to America.

The petitioner pleaded that Haqqani, who holds dual nationality – of Pakistan and USA – was appointed ambassador to Sri Lanka against merit during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure as prime minister. But Haqqani then changed his loyalties and became a member of PPP, said the petitioner. He was made Pakistan’s ambassador to the USA in violation of merit again, the petitioner submitted. The petitioner requested that a lie detector test be used to determine whether Haqqani is telling the truth.

In the same petition, Rajpoot requested the court to direct all respondents to declare their assets, held in Pakistan and abroad, along with affidavits. He further prayed the court to initiate proceedings against them.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22nd, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/295487-husainhaqqaniAFP-1321908361/295487-husainhaqqaniAFP-1321908361.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>The steno and the memo</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295295/the-steno-and-the-memo</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295295/the-steno-and-the-memo#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 21 Nov 11 17:25:34 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[fasi.zaka]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=295295</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Everything about this sordid affair (memogate) beggars disbelief, yet it seems to become truer by the day.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[If there is one phrase that helps sum up the current state of memo-gate, it would be that ‘There are limits to genius, but none to stupidity’. Everything about this sordid affair beggars disbelief, yet it seems to become truer by the day, especially after Mike Mullen’s volte-face on the receipt of the memo.

First Mansoor Ijaz. When he wrote his op-ed for the Financial Times, he blew the lid on an affair he was supposed to conduct in utmost secrecy. In an excellent interview conducted by Barkha Dutt of NDTV, Mansoor explained this by claiming he needed an authentic anecdote for the policy prescription in his article, which was to try and force the disbandment of the ISI-S wing. The same spy agency he was out to destroy, he is now happy to share evidence with.

So, the real reason for the disclosure is he had trouble filling up space in an article he was supposed to write? His other reason for becoming embroiled in this fiasco, according to him, was to serve Pakistan and US interests by ensuring democracy was safe. The very democracy he has now plunged into an existential crisis because, I suppose, he had an editor’s cut-off date to meet.

But, in a piece for Foreign Policy magazine by Josh Robin, Mansoor has a different reason as to why he wrote his op-ed. There he says he wrote the piece to defend Mullen’s treatment at the hands of the Pakistani press, yes you read that right, post his last Congressional testimony where he criticised the ISI.

Mansoor Ijaz didn’t come off well in the NDTV interview. If anything, his “I have powerful friends” spiel would have sounded like shallow name-dropping if the setting was different. But like it or not, he is centre stage in all of this.

Immediately after the OBL raid, most commentators will agree that the armed forces of Pakistan were feeling the sting of severe unpopularity. Unless there is evidence contrary to this that will be made public later, there was no talk of a coup; in fact it was untenable then.

The premise that Pakistan was in danger of another bout of military rule for the memo to be written is incredulous. But, as I said before, world politics is no stranger to stupidity and false premises spearing actions. This is Pakistan’s WMD moment.

Now let’s say for a moment that Husain Haqqani is guilty of writing the memo as alleged. There is very little doubt that it is a treasonous offence, offering another state a unilateral deal of internal policy actions without any legal authority bypasses all codes of conduct.

But, one thing needs to be acknowledged. The gist of the memo, if it were ever to be implemented, would be good for Pakistan. There needs to be a fair enquiry into how OBL remained in Pakistan all this time and anyone found complicit needs to be tried. We need to strike against all militants on our soil, Pakistan is not their oasis. We need to bring down all militant groups who conduct foreign terrorism from Pakistani safe havens, including those who carried out the Mumbai attacks.

The only real problems with the memo are that it offers Americans say into who would be a member of the enquiry commission, confirms Pakistan’s armed forces role in supporting terrorists and makes offers on our nuclear programme. These are, of course, substantial problems.

If we accept the premise that the civilian side in our government was scared of a coup by the army, then it’s really one treason to prevent another. And we would have never gotten to this point if the army was truly subservient to the people of this country and its elected representatives. There is very little doubt who has been calling the shots for some time now.

If, as is now increasingly being spun by Mansoor Ijaz, Haqqani did this on his own without the full knowledge of Zardari, then there is no question the ambassador needs to resign at the very least. But it is a point to ponder that the clamour for resignations is never as strong for those who have been exposed by WikiLeaks as being in bed with the Americans, for the abject failure in PNS Mehran and the total unawares with which they found Americans in Abbottabad.

Is one truly any worse than the other? The civil-military imbalance is out in the open once again. We often criticise this PPP government for its ineptness and corruption and rightly so, as a sham democracy. But I suspect we are really a sham democracy for other reasons.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22nd, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/295295-FasiZakaNew-1321888808/295295-FasiZakaNew-1321888808.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Memogate: Adamant ambassador set to face troika</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295132/memogate-adamant-ambassador-set-to-face-troika</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/295132/memogate-adamant-ambassador-set-to-face-troika#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 11 23:52:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[kamran.yousaf]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=295132</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Ijaz shifts gears, says president had ‘no knowledge’ of memo.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The embattled ambassador may take a breather – but not for very long.

Having purportedly ‘convinced’ the president of his alibi on the memo controversy, Pakistan’s ambassador to US Hussain Haqqani will now face the troika – the president, the prime minister, and the army chief.

In a meeting that is likely to take place within the next 48 hours, according to an official familiar with the development, Haqqani will face tough questions about his role in a memo, allegedly drafted by him for delivery via a middleman to former chairman US joint chiefs of staff Admiral Mike Mullen, asking for assistance to Pakistan’s civilian government to rein in the military establishment.

Haqqani pleads ‘not guilty’

The decision to convene the troika meeting, second in less than a week on the memo controversy, was taken after a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Haqqani on Sunday.

Haqqani, who arrived in the capital earlier in the day, had a marathon session with the President where he is believed to have pleaded not guilty.

Haqqani strongly denied his role in drafting the memo and offered to face any inquiry, a source close to the ambassador told The Express Tribune. He told the president he is ready to answer questions raised by the military, the source added.

“I heard that certain elements in the military are accusing me of working against Pakistan’s interests. I challenge them to say this on my face,” the source quoted Haqqani as telling the president.

‘Well thought out conspiracy’

Haqqani is said to have flushed in detail, what he termed was a ‘well-thought out conspiracy’ to implicate him in the memo controversy.

He questioned the role of the self-declared interlocutor and Pakistani-origin American businessman, Mansoor Ijaz, who claimed to have delivered the memo on behalf of Haqqani.

Ijaz is the same person who called for declaring the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) a terrorist organisation, Haqqani was quoted as telling the president.

A few days later, the same person then reportedly met the head of ISI Lt. General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, Haqqani reportedly added. “What does this indicate?” he was quoted as rhetorically asking the president.

Haqqani, sources added, also referred to a statement of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan on October 30, where he was implicated in the scandal for the first time.

“I was summoned on November 15 … how could Imran know about it on October 30,” Haqqani was quoted as saying.

President ‘fully convinced’

After hearing his point of view, the President decided to convene the meeting of the troika where Haqqani would defend the allegations leveled against him, the source said, adding that the president was “fully convinced” with Haqqani’s alibi.

Sources also added that Haqqani, who was hesitant to return to Islamabad, flew back once he was believed to have been assured by the Presidency that they would stand by him.

When contacted, presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar refused to comment.

Ijaz continues to strike

Ijaz’s revelations, however, continued to pour in, and on Sunday he claimed that DG ISI had forensically tested the evidence connected to the controversial memo, and deemed it legitimate.

Speaking to Express News (in an interview with Maria Zulfiqar which will be aired today), Ijaz claimed to have met General Pasha in London and provided him the evidence regarding the controversial memo drafted allegedly by Haqqani, including telephone records. He said it was irrefutable evidence since it was in his phone and forensically tested by General Pasha.

And while earlier Ijaz had claimed that the memo was sent with the blessings of President Zardari, he ruled out any understanding between the president and Haqqani on Sunday, and said the president had no knowledge of any such document.

Ijaz claimed that President Zardari might have spoken to Haqqani after the Abbottabad raid about the pressure on him, and asked the latter to help him out in this regard, but would have left the mechanics to the ambassador.

Defence minister weighs in

Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar weighed in on Sunday and called Ijaz a ‘conspirator,’ adding that only Haqqani can clear the mystery regarding the memo controversy.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Mukhtar said it would take some time to determine who drafted the memo.

If Haqqani is involved in the scandal, then the prime minister will also be held accountable since the ambassador is part of the premier’s team, Mukhtar added.

The minister vowed that all details will be brought before the public, as soon as details unravel.

(Read: Memogate and matters of sovereignty)

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21st, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/295132-abc-1321832485/295132-abc-1321832485.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Plotting intervention</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294817/plotting-intervention</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294817/plotting-intervention#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 11 18:38:14 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[rasul.bakhsh.rais]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=294817</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Admiral Mike Mullen has dropped a daisy-cutter on the heads of the trio — Zardari, Gilani and Husain Haqqani.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Those who know the characters that rule Pakistan at the top in the name of electoral legitimacy might not be surprised by the revelation that Ambassador Husain Haqqani wrote a secret memo to Admiral Mike Mullen in May, seeking his help for the removal of the top military brass in Pakistan. In return, he promised, of course on behalf of the Government of Pakistan, to do to what the Americans would want to get done, including the dismantling of “Section S” of the ISI. Why would they not be surprised? Because of the past record in power of a very powerful syndicate that has repeatedly occupied positions of authority in the country under the banner of ‘national political parties’ — it has robbed this helpless society with impunity and has grown much stronger using its financial muscle and international connections. The power cliques and their minions have played every possible trick to grab power, stay in power and use power for personal ends. Never had they any feeling for the people who apparently ‘voted’ for them, or the country that has raised them, given them the social standing, power and prestige that they enjoy, which allows them to move around the country and abroad, mighty and tall.

Sadly, their integrity and commitment to the country, the motherland, has always remained questionable. It reminds me of a phrase uttered by a jittery American that some years back created such uproar here; “Pakistanis would sell their mother to get what they want”. Of course, not all Pakistanis will do that and, rightly, the gentleman was widely condemned and rebutted. But I am not sure about those who have been selling Pakistan’s vital interests to foreign powers and such elements have been associated with all types of regimes — civilian, military and hybrid, and not just the present regime and the character or characters involved in the writing of the memo. In Pakistan, many characters, families, groups and power brokers, from the early days to the present, have compromised the country’s interests to capture or stay in power through foreign support, which has come readily for a price — the surrendering of national interests.

The surfacing of this memo is beyond controversy and beyond plausible deniability, as all the thick covers that Mr Haqqani, the Presidency and the Prime Minster’s Secretariat weaved with care have fallen down like straws. Admiral Mike Mullen couldn’t do Haqqani’s bidding, which the great ambassador of the Islamic Republic expected. What he and others supporting him in Pakistan have done is what habitual thieves caught red-handed have done—told brazen lies with a bold, straight face. Don’t forget, the ruling syndicate falls back on ‘conspiracy’ as its last refuge and defence when it find no argument or facts to counter evidence against it, whether it is with regards to systematic corruption or working for foreign powers.

Admiral Mike Mullen has dropped a daisy-cutter on the heads of the trio — Asif Ali Zardari, Yousaf Raza Gilani and Husain Haqqani — busting all the lies and denials. We must admire the integrity and honourable conduct of the Admiral, which presents a contrasting picture of the integrity of honourable men and women.

What ramifications might the memo have for politics of Pakistan? First of all, the issue cannot be pushed under the rug anymore; it is too public, in the open and, through the media, the talk of the town. It will definitely add to the general unrest and disquiet about the present regime, which survives only through trickery and secret dealings inside and outside.

A storm that Imran Khan’s message of hope has inspired is already brewing at popular level. Will he capture this moment to take the movement to the next step — civil disobedience? That is the only way to save democracy from the ‘democrats’.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21st, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/294817-RasulBakhshRaisNewNew-1321800362/294817-RasulBakhshRaisNewNew-1321800362.JPG" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>The case of the crooked missive</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294824/the-case-of-the-crooked-missive</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294824/the-case-of-the-crooked-missive#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 11 18:30:28 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[shahzad chaudhry]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=294824</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[I don’t think we have yet seen the last of this unfortunate misstep even if the axe falls on Haqqani.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[There are now three established players to this crooked missive that has plagued Pakistan-US relations and unleashed an intra-Pakistan dynamic since Mansoor Ijaz decided to go public in a Financial Times article. Why he decided to go public at all with that article will be another interesting revelation, but sufficient pointers exist to underline the compulsion. Apparently, it seems he takes his credibility seriously (pun intended); second, it is likely that the search for clues to the immense American tirade of recent weeks against the Pakistani military and the ISI finally led to that ultimate Bohemian (again, pun intended) of the Washington power circles, Mansoor Ijaz, and hence the missive and his ‘veritable’ BBM record of what few men in Washington had been cooking. When the proverbial hits the fan, most run helter-skelter!

Why would our man in Washington need someone as incredulous as Mansoor Ijaz to do the deed, if indeed his own Rolodex is incomparable in the climes of Washington? Short answer: the incredulousness of Mansoor Ijaz, which could act as the most convenient shield of plausible deniability. Sadly, that didn’t happen. Not that the unnamed Pakistani official (read Haqqani, now) in the BBM exchanges did not have his chance: he after all did concede, he was ‘tweaking’ the memo!

The next issue: why would Mansoor Ijaz, along with, the ‘senior Pakistani official’ end up plotting what he did; and why would Admiral Mullen and the American establishment agree to connive in such a scheme? Briefly then: Mansoor Ijaz is a man desperate to be recognised; seemingly, he had some inroads into the Clinton administration but since has been effectively ostracised under Obama’s Democratic stint. When asked, he was more than willing to take the centre-stage. Also, he is an American citizen and will do what is needed to enhance American interest. You can’t blame the poor chap for his patriotism.

Why Mullen would do this along with the other players of the American power clique is also quite evident — they have had bones to pick with the Pakistani military. Somehow, the Americans feel that if both Generals Kayani and Pasha can somehow be replaced with newer players, the fresh incumbents might be willing to go along with the script. Seemingly, that is also what has been reportedly promised in the memo to the Americans if they will standby the political government in power as the changes are wrought. Mansoor Ijaz makes a very interesting observation to the Pakistani official in the BBM exchange; he says, “..we only set the table. He must decide if he wants (a) one-course meal or (a) seven-course meal. Ball is in play now — make sure you have protected your flanks”. There cannot be a graver indictment and culpability of the involved hands.

Quite clearly, the perpetrators of the conspiracy chose a seven-course meal but could never reach the dessert. What Mullen did on the eve of his retirement was perhaps course number five if not the penultimate course. But what became clear by then was that the Pakistani side of the deal wasn’t delivering. That is when Ms Clinton made her appearance, repairing the damage that was bound to snowball with a plan gone awry. Why did the Americans suck up to an unworkable plan in the first place unless they were desperate to somehow replace the military leadership? The last time someone tried this in Pakistan they ended up losing their government which had a two-thirds majority to the preferred replacement. Don’t we ever learn from history?

Ultimately, will Husain Haqqani’s over-exuberance and over-extended luck bring his star crashing to the ground? It may well be the case by the time this goes to print.

Cavorting with the enemy is never a safe thing especially when you represent your nation. But is he alone the one to blame? The jury is likely to remain out on the missing end of this episode in Pakistan. I don’t think we have yet seen the last of this unfortunate misstep even if the axe falls on Haqqani. The effects will reverberate far and long into the coming elections which could, as a consequence, be forced earlier than time. In a morally correct society, a political system under such clouds of suspicion will refer itself back to the electorate for a fresh mandate. That, more likely still, might be the final chapter in this sorry drama even though walls of defiance have already begun to erect around prime suspects. Mansoor Ijaz, regardless of his incredulous antecedents, may be the only credible voice in this saga.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21st, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/294824-ShahzadChaudhryNew-1321800325/294824-ShahzadChaudhryNew-1321800325.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>ISI DG has all the evidence: Mansoor Ijaz</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294898/dg-isi-pasha-has-forensically-tested-memo-evidence-mansoor-ijaz</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294898/dg-isi-pasha-has-forensically-tested-memo-evidence-mansoor-ijaz#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 11 17:46:49 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=294898</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Rules out reports of an understanding between Zardari and Haqqani.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[US businessman of Pakistani origin Mansoor Ijaz on Sunday said that Director-General Inter- Services Intelligence (ISI) Shuja Pasha had forensically tested the evidence connected to the controversial memo and deemed it legitimate on his London visit.

Speaking exclusively in Express News’ show Baat-say-Baat, Ijaz claimed to have met General Pasha in London and provided him evidence regarding the secret memo allegedly dictated by Hussain Haqqani.

He said it was irrefutable evidence since he gave Pasha telephone records and Haqqani’s BlackBerry pin code.

Ijaz also ruled out reports that there was some understanding between President Asif Ali Zardari and Ambassador Haqqani regarding the memo, saying the president had no knowledge of any such document.

He claimed that Zardari might have spoken to Haqqani after the May 2 raid about the pressure on him, hence asking the latter to help him out.

Ijaz hit out at the ambassador on challenging the authenticity of the memo and ruled out any missing links in the authenticity chain. He said that he was an “ultra wealthy” individual who handles his own investments and would sue anyone for slandering against him using the best of lawyers from London, New York and Switzerland.

Earlier, Ijaz had claimed in an article published in the Financial Times that on President Zardari’s instructions and with the help of a top diplomat, he had drafted and delivered a memo to Admiral Mullen calling for his help in supporting President Zardari in case of a military coup.

The full interview will air on both Express News and Express 24/7 at 7pm on Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21st, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/294898-mansoorijaz-1321849457/294898-mansoorijaz-1321849457.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Ambassador Husain Haqqani arrives home in memo row</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294757/husain-haqqani-arrives-home-in-memo-row</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294757/husain-haqqani-arrives-home-in-memo-row#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 11 07:36:08 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=294757</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Husain Haqqani returns to Islamabad in the wake of the leaked memo controversy.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan's ambassador to Washington returned to Islamabad Sunday to explain himself over claims that he wrote a letter seeking US help against the country's powerful military.

Hussain Haqqani, a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari, has played a key role in helping Pakistan's civilian government navigate turbulent relations with Washington that nosedived over the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Local media reports implicated Haqqani in a memo allegedly sent from Zardari to Admiral Mike Mullen, then America's top military officer, seeking to curtail Pakistan's military shortly after it was humiliated by the bin Laden killing.

Zardari reportedly feared that the military might seize power in a bid to limit the hugely damaging fallout in Pakistan after Navy SEALs killed bin Laden in the garrison city of Abbottabad on May 2.

The alleged memo, released last month by American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, said that a "new national security team" in Pakistan -- with US support -- could end ties between Pakistani intelligence and militants.

A senior government official told AFP that Haqqani "arrived early Sunday and is due to attend several meetings including a meeting with the President to explain the situation".

Haqqani has offered to resign over the row, but has denied any involvement with the document.

Pakistan's opposition leader Nawaz Sharif on Saturday demanded an independent commission to investigate the issue.

&nbsp;]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/294757-husainhaqqani-1321774420/294757-husainhaqqani-1321774420.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Memogate: Firewalk awaits frayed ambassador</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294709/husain-haqqani-returns-to-pakistan</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294709/husain-haqqani-returns-to-pakistan#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 11 04:10:55 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[huma.imtiaz]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=294709</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Haqqani to be rushed to presidency upon arrival.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Hussain Haqqani waved goodbye to Washington Saturday evening, possibly for the last time as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States.

At the end of this potentially one-way flight, a firewalk awaits the embattled ambassador in Islamabad.

Summoned by the president and the prime minister over his alleged role in the ‘memogate’, Haqqani is scheduled to meet President Asif Ali Zardari today (Sunday).

Haqqani will explain his position on a memo, allegedly drafted by him for delivery, via a middleman, to former chairman US joint chiefs of staff Admiral Mike Mullen, asking for assistance to Pakistan’s civilian government to rein in the military establishment.

The letter was delivered on behalf of the Pakistani government by the self-declared interlocutor and a Pakistani-origin American businessman, Mansoor Ijaz.

Haqqani has persistently denied the charges and has offered to resign if it helps resolve the controversy.

But the controversy threatens to engulf not only the ambassador, but the civilian leadership itself. Ijaz has claimed that the memo was sent with the blessings of President Zardari.

Civilians to grill first

Haqqani, who boarded a Qatar Airways flight in Washington Saturday evening, is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad early Sunday morning, official sources said.

He would be taken to the Presidency right away, sources added.

“The president and the prime minister told General Kayani that they would first seek an explanation from Haqqani themselves,” a close associate of President Zardari told The Express Tribune.

The civilian leadership would then apprise the military authorities of the issue, he added.

“If [military authorities] remain unsatisfied, the civilian leadership will arrange Haqqani’s meeting with them,” the Pakistan Peoples Party leader said.

Hesitant Haqqani

Haqqani, who initially volunteered to appear before any authority in Pakistan to defend himself, was later ambivalent, and at one point even considered delaying his return to Pakistan, official sources toldThe Express Tribune.

He proceeded to return after receiving ‘assurances at the highest level,’ the source added.

The president’s spokesperson, Farhatullah Babar, when contacted to confirm Haqqani’s meeting with the president and its likely outcome, said he cannot say anything right now.

“Let him come ... He is expected to reach here later in the night,” Babar said. “I would be in a position to tell the schedule once he arrives.”  An official in the Prime Minister House said the premier would be in Lahore on Sunday, for his son’s wedding, and is expected to meet Haqqani on Monday.

No treason charges yet

The government has no intentions of pursuing a treason case against Haqqani before giving him a chance to prove his innocence, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said while talking to journalists on Saturday.

“It is unjust to condemn someone without hearing them first,” Malik said.

“If Haqqani fails to satisfy the government with his explanation, the matter would be open for investigation,” he added.

Malik denied that Haqqani had drafted the infamous memo and added that President Zardari did not ask the ambassador for such communication either.

“It was a unilateral act of Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz,” Malik asserted.

Admitting that a record of conversation between Ijaz and Haqqani was found, Malik stressed that “it was yet to be determined who initiated the conversation.”

Haqqani meets Grossman

Haqqani, meanwhile, met with the US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman before departing for Islamabad.

A State Department official said the case of the memo was discussed in meeting. Grossman said he had never seen the memo until it was made public, the official added.

Earlier on Friday, State Department spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters that he was not going to engage in speculation.

“Our understanding is that [Haqqani] is still the ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, and we continue to have regular interactions with him,” Toner said.

PML-Q throws weight behind ally

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain threw his weight behind his ally, the Pakistan Peoples Party, on Saturday and said the ‘memogate’ controversy was ‘baseless’ and an effort to destabilise the civilian government.

Speaking in Bahawalpur, Hussain said that President Zardari was not a child who needed intermediaries for correspondence with the US government.

(Additional input by Umer Nangiana in Islamabad and Kashif Zafar in Bahawalpur)

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20th, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/294709-husainhaqqaniAFP-1321762628/294709-husainhaqqaniAFP-1321762628.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Haqqani did not write letter seeking US help against military: Malik</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294396/haqqani-did-not-write-letter-seeking-us-help-against-military-malik</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294396/haqqani-did-not-write-letter-seeking-us-help-against-military-malik#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 19 Nov 11 14:01:55 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=294396</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Husain Haqqani has been called to Islamabad by Prime Minister and President to explain himself.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan's ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, did not write a letter seeking US help against the country's powerful military, Pakistan's interior minister said Saturday.

However, he was involved in communication via text message with an American national, Rehman Malik said.

Haqqani, who has offered to resign over the situation, but has denied the reports of his involvement, has now been called to Islamabad by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari to explain himself.

Haqqani, a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari, has played a key role in helping Pakistan's civilian government navigate turbulent relations with Washington that nosedived over the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May.

Local media reports implicated him in a memo allegedly sent from Zardari to Admiral Mike Mullen, then America's top military officer, seeking to curtail Pakistan's military after it was humiliated by the Bin Laden killing.

Zardari reportedly feared that the military might seize power in one way to limit the hugely damaging fallout in Pakistan after Navy SEALs killed Bin Laden in the garrison city of Abbottabad on May 2.

The alleged memo was revealed last month by American businessman Mansoor Ijaz.

Speaking in Islamabad, Malik said there was no written letter, but he added that Gilani and Zardari had decided to call ambassador Haqqani to explain the situation.

"This was not a letter, neither from presidency nor from any government organisation," Malik said.

"This is communication through SMS (text messages) by two individuals. One is an American national and second is our ambassador."

He said the evidence available was "an exchange of SMS messages and Blackberry messages" and added: "Now we have to see that who initiated these."     Government officials in Islamabad said Haqqani was on his way to the capital.

"And if his point of view was not satisfactory then it is clear that it is open for investigation," Malik said.

"It is not according to the justice to condemn someone without hearing him."

Haqqani has said he will cooperate with the inquiry while denying reports of the memo and calling the matter a "non issue".

In an opinion piece in UK's Financial Times on October 10, Ijaz wrote that a "senior Pakistani diplomat" telephoned him in May soon after Bin Laden's death, urging him to deliver a message to the White House bypassing Pakistan's military and intelligence chiefs.

"The president feared a military takeover was imminent" and "needed an American fist on his army chief's desk to end any misguided notions of a coup and fast," he wrote.

He said a memo was delivered to Mullen on May 10, offering that a "new national security team" would end relations between Pakistani intelligence and Afghan militants, namely the Taliban and its Haqqani faction.

Pakistan's opposition leader Nawaz Sharif on Saturday demanded an independent commission to investigate the issue.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/294396-hussainhaqqani-1321710927/294396-hussainhaqqani-1321710927.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Haqqani meets Grossman before boarding Pakistan bound flight</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294332/haqqani-meets-grossman-before-boarding-pakistan-bound-flight</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294332/haqqani-meets-grossman-before-boarding-pakistan-bound-flight#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 19 Nov 11 03:17:08 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[huma.imtiaz]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=294332</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[State Department says they still consider Haqqani to be Pakistan's Ambassador to the US.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[As Memogate continues in Pakistan and the United States, Pakistani Ambassador Husain Haqqani met with the US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Marc Grossman hours before boarding a flight back home.

A State Department official, who did not wish to be named, said that the case of the memo was discussed in the meeting.

The official added that Ambassador Grossman said he had never seen the memo until it was made public. He also referred back to Admiral Mullen’s comments on the memo.

In comments issued via his spokesperson in Foreign Policy, Admiral Mullen did not find the memo credible when he received it.

Earlier on Friday, the State Department spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters at the press briefing that he was not going to engage in speculation. “Our understanding is that he’s still the ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, and we continue to have regular interactions with him, as we do with a number of people with – both within the Pakistani Government.”

Toner added that the United States “clearly support the democratically elected Government of Pakistan, as well as its constitutional processes.”

Haqqani on a flight to Pakistan

Pakistan's Ambassador waved good bye to America, maybe the last time as a Pakistani envoy to the US, as he boarded a flight back to his motherland.

Minutes before his flight was to take off, the ambassador tweeted:
On way to motherland. #Pakistan
&nbsp;]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/294332-MarcGrossman-1321671781/294332-MarcGrossman-1321671781.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Memogate: Zardari terms memo conspiracy against PPP govt</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294292/memogate-zardari-terms-memo-conspiracy-against-ppp-govt</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294292/memogate-zardari-terms-memo-conspiracy-against-ppp-govt#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 19 Nov 11 00:25:38 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=294292</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Gilani, Haqqani say the govt defended army in times of need.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[All the names are out in the open. The secret memo is secret no more.


Now, all that remains to be seen is how Pakistan’s civilian leadership will handle the consequences of the allegations being levelled against it.

The first part of this remaining chapter was written in the Presidency on Friday, with President Asif Ali Zardari meeting his close associates – better known as the core committee.

The president is being quoted as telling the meeting that the controversy surrounding the memo, purportedly secretly sent on his behalf to now retired chairman US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, was part of a concerted effort against his party’s government – that it is a conspiracy.

“When I have direct access to the US president, why should I be using intermediaries,” Zardari told the core committee.

The meeting was held in the wake of increasing pressure on the government following Mullen’s confirmation that he had received such a memo asking for US support in reining in Pakistan’s powerful military and intelligence apparatus.

The president told participants that the man who has put forward the claims, Mansoor Ijaz, had contacted him twice when he was in New York after release from jail during Gen. Musharraf’s regime - but Zardari declined to meet him. “BB (Benazir Bhutto) had warned me to stay away from this man. We will see on whose behest Mansoor Ijaz was playing this game,” a participant of the meeting quoted Zardari as saying.

The president’s spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said that the meeting decided that Ambassador Hussain Haqqani will be given a fair chance to give his version before decisions are reached.

PM tries to calm things down 

Over in the National Assembly, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani did his utmost to calm a fiery opposition that was calling for treason charges against those involved in the controversy.

“Be patient. Don’t panic. The country is not disintegrating … we will resolve this issue,” Gilani calmly said.

Some lawmakers called for a parliamentary probe, but Gilani did not agree with the demand and insisted that the government had already initiated action by summoning Haqqani to Islamabad to explain his position. “Let him (ambassador) come back. He will give an explanation to the Pakistani leadership,” Gilani added in a brief speech after which he left the house to attend the PPP core committee meeting.

Gilani said the government had defended the military and the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) whenever there was crisis in the past and will continue to do so in the future as well.

Haqqani denies he drafted memo

Ambassador Haqqani, meanwhile, vehemently defended himself, reiterating that neither did he draft the memo, nor did he ask anyone else to.

The ambassador said he was due to board a flight to Pakistan late Friday evening. “I do not have my itinerary in front of me, but I am scheduled to board a flight later tonight, I may adjust my flight due to some reasons, but I will be returning to Pakistan,” Haqqani said, adding that he was suffering from high blood pressure.

Speaking to Express News from Washington, Haqqani did not deny that there was a memo delivered to Mullen. “Ijaz is a very rich, influential man; he has drafted the memo and managed to deliver it to Admiral Mullen.”

In reference to an exchange of messages between him and Ijaz printed in a newspaper on Friday, Haqqani said that the Pakistani press does not verify facts. The only verifiable element in the conversation was the date on which the ambassador was in London. “Yes, I was in London on an official visit, however anyone could have given that information out,” the ambassador said.

Haqqani said that he had stood for Pakistan and the army in the most difficult of times especially during the Kerry-Lugar bill. “[Even] After the Abbottabad incident, I defended the Pakistan army in front of the whole world,” he said.Haqqani also alluded to possible threat against his life citing what he termed incitement by media as had happened in the murder of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer.

Mansoor Ijaz refuses to back off

“The memo’s content in its entirety originated from [Haqqani],” Mansoor Ijaz told news agency Reuters.  “At a certain point he started talking so fast, I opened up my computer and I started typing the basic outline of the verbal message he wanted me to transmit.

“He was originally asking me to deliver a verbal message. And when I went back to my US interlocutors – all three of them – said they wouldn’t touch this unless it was in writing.”

(Read: The case of the curious memo)

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19th, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/294292-ZardariPM-1321661982/294292-ZardariPM-1321661982.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>The case of the curious memo</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294072/the-case-of-the-curious-memo</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/294072/the-case-of-the-curious-memo#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 18 Nov 11 21:06:07 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=294072</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The memo does seem to accurately depict the state of civil-military relations in Pakistan.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The whole premise of this editorial, for the sake of argument, is that a confidential memorandum, addressed to then Admiral Mike Mullen, was assumed to have been written and passed on to the then US military chief. The latter, for his part, curiously enough, first denied any knowledge of the memo, and then said that he may have come across it; then his spokesman confirmed it; and then someone from among his former staff came up with a copy, which then quite conveniently found its way to a blog maintained by Foreign Policy, a prestigious US-based publication.

A close reading of the said memo would suggest — without taking into account all the havoc that it has caused — that it is a backgrounder, so to speak, on how important decisions and policies (permission for drone attacks, release of Raymond Davis, and so on) in Pakistan are made and implemented, particularly those that relate to security, the war on terror, and ties with foreign states, especially America, India and Afghanistan. It really is no secret — and clearly the memo’s content is no revelation on this account — that much of the power rests with Pakistan’s military. The memo has six points, some of which are more interesting and intriguing than others, none so than the second one. Here, the writer or writers (since the last sentence says “members of the new national security team”) claim that if an independent inquiry were to be ordered by the president, a promise held out in the first point, then it would be “certain” that the findings of the commission so formed would “result in immediate termination of active service officers in the appropriate government offices and agencies found responsible for complicity in assisting UBL [Osama bin Laden]”. These are explosive claims, to say the least, and the havoc unleashed by the memo would seem understandable, especially in the state of relations between the civilian government and the military. Going back to the point, again, that divorced from the effects currently taking place inside the country, the memo does seem to accurately depict the state of civil-military relations in Pakistan. The reference to Osama bin Laden being allegedly harboured by state elements had cropped up initially as well. The real issue is that these accusations should have been investigated thoroughly because bin Laden happened to be the world’s most wanted terrorist and, if elements in the government or its associated departments thought otherwise, they should have been uncovered and held accountable. However, the commission that was set up by the government went on to probe other things, mainly whether there was any cooperation at any level by government officials with the Americans. While investigating this may have been a reasonable course of action, one can only wonder how other, perhaps more important questions — such as how bin Laden could have been hiding undetected in a place like Abbottabad for so many years — were never asked. At the very least, an independent forensic probe should be conducted to ascertain who exactly sent and received the BlackBerry messages that are part of the controversy. This can be done by calling in some foreign experts to ensure the perception of impartiality. And since the matter is of a most grave nature, involving, as some have said Article 6, the Supreme Court could take note of it as well. Nawaz Sharif has already called for a committee into this matter and that is a worthwhile demand.

Instead of routing its attempt to bring the military under its control via the Americans, the PPP-led government should have used the parliament. Let us, for example, consider what has happened in Turkey in recent months, where a once-powerful army has seen its authority appropriated by an elected civilian government. In this, the impetus for change was brought about by the ruling Justice and Development Party, which won an almost two-thirds majority in its third election win this past June. It has dexterously and openly, unlike the backchannels that seem to have been used in Pakistan and that too via a country that seems to be disliked by many Pakistanis, used its widening popular support to tilt the balance of power in favour of civilian centres of authority in Turkey, as should be the case in a fully functional democracy.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19th,  2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/294072-topsecret-1321649798/294072-topsecret-1321649798.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Tribune Take: Haqqani out, Salman Bashir in?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293915/tribune-take-haqqani-out-salman-bashir-in</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293915/tribune-take-haqqani-out-salman-bashir-in#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 18 Nov 11 15:40:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[mahawish.rezvi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=293915</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Kamran Yousaf discusses the possibility of Salman Bashir replacing Husain Haqqani. Watch now.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[In today’s episode of the Tribune Take we take a look at the latest from Islamabad on the speculation surrounding Ambassador Husain Haqqani's return. 

Kamran Yousaf, The Express Tribune senior reporter in Islamabad, says there might be a possibility that Ambassador Haqqani may not even land in Islamabad to face the tough questions concerning the memo.

Yousaf says talks of who will replace Haqqani are abound in the power corridors of the capital. He is in charge of, what is considered to be, one of the most fragile and important diplomatic relations for Pakistan. Yousaf claims foreign secretary Salman Bashir's name is often thrown in the mix in speculative discussions.

Haqqani has offered to resign, but according to Yousaf since the ambassador has been privy to sensitive information regarding secret talks between the two governments, his possible removal will have to be handled carefully.

Read Kamran Yousaf’s articles here.

Follow Kamran Yousaf on Twitter.

The Tribune Take daily news web show will appear on the tribune.com.pk home page.

The Take will feature in-depth interviews and analysis with editors and reporters who are covering the major stories, exploring front page events and major ledes. The news analysis covers the way The Express Tribune examines a story, how we cover it and why.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/thumbs/logo-tribune1588976358-0-450x300.webp" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>‘Memo-gate’: Alarm bells as Mullen confirms secret memo</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293729/%e2%80%98memo-gate%e2%80%99-alarm-bells-as-mullen-confirms-secret-memo</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293729/%e2%80%98memo-gate%e2%80%99-alarm-bells-as-mullen-confirms-secret-memo#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 11 23:42:09 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[huma.imtiaz]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=293729</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Zardari calls crucial core committee meeting today.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani said on Thursday that, in Pakistan, a single person’s claims can create crises. Whether the claims are true or not, the crisis has well and truly been created.  


The controversy over a secret backchannel memo sent purportedly from the civilian leadership of Pakistan to the then US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen regarding an offer to rein in Pakistan’s powerful army and its spy agency continued to unfold dramatically on Thursday.

Though his name has not been openly taken, the man said to have played a crucial role in the purported memo is none other than Ambassador Haqqani, who is alleged to have contacted another middleman to get the message to Mullen.

Mullen confirms memo

Hours after Ambassador Haqqani offered to resign, the website of a prestigious US-based publication, which had printed a denial on the matter by Mullen a few days ago, dropped a bombshell by claiming that the former chairman US joint chiefs of staff had confirmed receiving the alleged memo.

The Cable, a blog at Foreign Policy, published a statement from former Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen’s spokesperson who acknowledged that the now retired officer did receive a memo, but didn’t believe it was credible.

“Adm. Mullen had no recollection of the memo and no relationship with Ijaz. After the original article appeared … he felt it incumbent upon himself to check his memory. He reached out to others who he believed might have had knowledge of such a memo, and one of them was able to produce a copy of it,” John Kirby said. “That said, neither the contents of the memo nor the proof of its existence altered or affected in any way the manner in which Adm. Mullen conducted himself in his relationship with Gen. Kayani and the Pakistani government. He took no note of it.”

Alarm in Islamabad

The confirmation has set off alarm bells in Islamabad.

President Asif Ali Zardari, who is also co-chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, has summoned a crucial meeting of his close associates, commonly known as core committee, today (Friday). In this meeting, it is expected that Ambassador Haqqani’s fate will be decided.

PPP Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira confirmed the schedule of the core committee meeting, but said that usually the agenda of the meeting is decided when it begins. Before the core committee meeting, another meeting between Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and President Zardari is also expected.

The president had already held two meetings with Gen Kayani in the presidency on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The meetings were about the memo – and while it is unclear what action was agreed to, media reports suggest that it could end up with Haqqani being sacked as ambassador to appease the military, which is said to be highly irked by the purported memo.

Though Haqqani has refuted allegations, the civilian government is under tremendous pressure to sack him and appoint Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir as the new envoy.

A Pakistan-American businessman, Mansoor Ijaz, had alleged in an October 10 op-ed in the Financial Times that on May 10, in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s killing in Abbottabad, Zardari had offered to replace Pakistan’s powerful military and intelligence leadership and cut ties with militant groups. Ijaz said he was directed to craft the memo by a senior Pakistani official close to Zardari (now believed to be Haqqani). It is said that the government feared a coup at the time.

Haqqani speaks

Ambassador Haqqani, who has served as Pakistan’s representative to the US since 2008, denied that he had either drafted or delivered any memo. Referring to Mansoor Ijaz indirectly, the Ambassador said, “There are many businessmen in this world who claim to have a role in a country’s affairs, but they are not given importance. In Pakistan, however, one man’s claims create a crisis.” He added that if his name had been linked openly to the memo, he would have replied by now.

On Wednesday, the Ambassador sent a letter to the President. Sources said that the letter states that Haqqani was ready to face any inquiry against him.

Later speaking to the media, Haqqani said that he had already booked a seat to Pakistan, aiming to be back in the country before the end of the week.

Haqqani added that he had good relations with Mullen, however, he did not believe that the admiral, even as the chief of joint staff, had the power to bring about any change in the Pakistani top brass.

The ambassador said that he was being made a scapegoat for doing his job, of maintaining good relations with the US.

“Ask Mansoor Ijaz why he wrote the article? And why he was now making the claims in public?”

(Read: Our man in Washington)

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18th,  2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/293729-Zardari-1321573219/293729-Zardari-1321573219.JPG" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Haqqani will not be asked to resign: Chaudhry Mukhtar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293602/haqqani-will-not-be-asked-to-resign-chaudhry-mukhtar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293602/haqqani-will-not-be-asked-to-resign-chaudhry-mukhtar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 11 18:39:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=293602</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Defence Minister says government will take action if allegations against Husain Haqqani proved.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar said on Thursday that the government will take action if allegations against Hussain Haqqani are proved regarding an alleged memo written to former US Admiral Mike Mullen.

Talking to Express 24/7, Mukhtar said that the entire issue must be investigated before reaching any conclusion. He raised questions over Mansoor Ijaz’s character, who claims to have delivered the letter to Mullen, saying that he was a dubious character who cannot be trusted.

He also questioned how it was possible that Mullen passed the letter on to President Obama without reading it.

The minister said Haqqani would not be asked to resign.

Talking about Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Mukhtar defended the PIA saying the airline was functioning as usual and most of its Hajj flights arrived on time.

He added that Hajj flights are not subject to delays with 84 per cent of them reaching their destinations on time.

Speaking on the Haqqani network, he vowed that Pakistan will continue to fight the network within its own territory.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/293602-AhmedMukhtar-1321554601/293602-AhmedMukhtar-1321554601.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Tribune Take: Husain Haqqani down, but not out</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293419/tribune-take-husain-haqqani-down-but-not-out</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293419/tribune-take-husain-haqqani-down-but-not-out#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 11 16:07:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[mahawish.rezvi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=293419</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Huma Imtiaz discusses the Washington DC take on a possible Husain Haqqani departure. Watch now.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[In today’s episode of the Tribune Take we take a look at the latest from Washington DC about Ambassador Husain Haqqani's possible resignation and return to Pakistan. 

Huma Imtiaz, Express Tribune's correspondent based in Washington DC discusses the speculation surrounding who will replace Haqqani if the post were to free up.

Imtiaz says officially the US State Department is unlikely to comment on this story, citing that it is an internal issue for Pakistan.

Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington has offered to resign after reports that his boss, President Asif Ali Zardari, asked Washington for help to stave off a military takeover.

A Pakistani businessman alleged in a column in the Financial Timeslast month that a senior Pakistani diplomat asked for assistance in getting a message from Zardari to Admiral Mike Mullen, at the time chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Watch today’s episode here, or click the video thumbnail in the right hand column.

Read Huma Imtiaz’s articles here.

Follow Huma Imtiaz on Twitter.

The Tribune Take daily news web show will appear on the tribune.com.pk home page.

The Take will feature in-depth interviews and analysis with editors and reporters who are covering the major stories, exploring front page events and major ledes. The news analysis covers the way The Express Tribune examines a story, how we cover it and why.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/thumbs/logo-tribune1588976358-0-450x300.webp" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Our man in Washington</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293399/our-man-in-washington</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293399/our-man-in-washington#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 11 16:05:19 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=293399</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[One constant in Husain Haqqani's life has been a principled opposition to military dominance over civilian affairs.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[It’s bad enough that his involvement in the Mansur Ijaz saga will likely lose Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, his job; what is even worse is that it will overshadow the stellar work he did in Washington. Admiral Mike Mullen, the recently-retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed that he had received a memo written by Ijaz, supposedly at the behest of Haqqani, asking the US to reign in the ISI. Haqqani has tendered his resignation and, although it is yet to be accepted, his role in this affair may well signal the end of his tenure.

Haqqani has been something of a political chameleon throughout his career, starting as a student activist of the Islami Jamiat Taleba, shifting to the PML-N before finally settling on the PPP. But the one constant in his life has been a principled opposition to military dominance over civilian affairs. It is in keeping with this ideology and character, then, that Haqqani would seek to curb the military’s power. But it is how he chose to go about it that is so galling. In doing so, he has provided ammunition to those of his critics who claim that his true loyalties lie with the US, not Pakistan. As such, his actions may end up having an effect opposite to what he had intended. This controversy will also strengthen the military’s hand in castigating the civilian government as sell-outs to the Americans.

Given that the Presidency issued a lengthy statement denouncing Ijaz as a fantasist, Haqqani will likely be the scapegoat and President Zardari will deny all knowledge of his actions. Such an interpretation of events stretches the bounds of credibility but may unfortunately be necessary to keep the military satiated. Amid the torrent of criticism that is sure to come Haqqani’s way in the coming days, though, there are some things that need to be remembered. The military needs to be operating under the authority of the elected government, even if asking the US to arrange that for us is foolish in the extreme. And if Haqqani does leave his post, we will have lost our most effective lobbyist for the country, one who kept US aid flowing and negotiated a satisfactory resolution to the Raymond Davis saga. All the right-wingers who feel jubilation at his demise should keep this in mind amidst their celebrations.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18th, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/293399-hussain_haqqani-1321545423/293399-hussain_haqqani-1321545423.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Haqqani: 'Offering to resign is a way to silence those targeting democracy'</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293457/haqqani-%e2%80%9coffering-to-resign-is-a-way-to-silence-those-targeting-democracy%e2%80%9d</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293457/haqqani-%e2%80%9coffering-to-resign-is-a-way-to-silence-those-targeting-democracy%e2%80%9d#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 11 15:42:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=293457</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Haqqani says he is returning to the country as a serving Ambassador, decision to replace him rests with Zardari.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Hours after he offered to resign from his post as Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani says the point of his offer to resign was to silence those who want to target democracy via the memo.

(Read: Dissecting a ‘leak’)

In a statement issued from the US capital, Ambassador Haqqani said that he did not care about his job, but held Pakistan and democracy dear. He added that the final decision was going to be made by President Zardari, and that he would be travelling to Pakistan as serving ambassador.

Memo-gate, as it is being dubbed here, saw a new twist when hours after Ambassador Haqqani’s offer to resign, The Cable, a blog at Foreign Policy, published a statement from former Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen's spokesperson who confirmed that Admiral Mullen did receive a memo, but didn't believe it was credible.

Ambassador Haqqani, who has served as Pakistan’s representative to the US since 2008, denied that he had neither drafted nor delivered any memo. “The person who started this debate must have a big ego, my ego is not more important than the country or the democratic process,” he added. Referring to Mansoor Ijaz indirectly, the Ambassador said, “There are many businessmen in this world who claim to have a role in a country’s affairs, but they are not given importance. In Pakistan however, one man’s claims create a crisis.” He added that if his name had been linked openly to the memo, he would have replied by now.

On Wednesday, the Ambassador sent a letter to the President. Sources said that the letter states that Haqqani was ready to face any inquiry against him, and that he was being targeted for vilification by innuendo.

Mansoor Ijaz, a Pakistan-American businessman, had claimed in an article published in the Financial Times that he had, on President Zardari’s instructions and with the help of a top diplomat, drafted and delivered a memo to Admiral Mullen calling for his help in supporting President Zardari in case of a military coup.

Later speaking on Geo television, Haqqani said he had cancelled some scheduled meetings and that he had already booked a seat to Pakistan, aiming to be back in the country before the end of the week.

Haqqani added that he had good relations with Admiral Mike Mullen, professionally and personally, however, he did not believe that the Admiral, even in his old post as the Chief of Joint Staff, have the power to bring about any change in the Pakistani top brass. That power, the envoy said, remained with President Zardari.

The Ambassador said that he was being made a scapegoat for doing his job, of maintaining good relations with the United States of America. He added that Ijaz was blackmailing the ambassador by threatening to publish BlackBerry messenger conversations over a secret mission he had been tasked with.

When questioned about allegations levelled by Imran Khan that Haqqani had been subverting the army through his actions, the ambassador adopted a questioning tone towards Ijaz saying “ask Mansoor Ijaz why he wrote the article? And why he was now making the claims in public?"]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/293457-hussainhaqqani-1321544154/293457-hussainhaqqani-1321544154.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Haqqani offers to resign; Mullen confirms existence of secret memo</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293289/haqqani-offers-resignation-mullen-confirms-existence-of-secret-memo</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293289/haqqani-offers-resignation-mullen-confirms-existence-of-secret-memo#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 11 05:11:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=293289</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Move comes after report­s that Zardar­i asked Washin­gton to help stave off an army takeov­er.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan's ambassador to Washington has offered to resign after reports that his boss, President Asif Ali Zardari, asked Washington for help to stave off a military takeover.

A Pakistani businessman alleged in a column in the Financial Times last month that a senior Pakistani diplomat asked for assistance in getting a message from Zardari to Admiral Mike Mullen, at the time chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The author, Mansoor Ijaz, alleged that Zardari feared a military takeover following the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May and brought unprecedented public scrutiny on Pakistani leaders.

Events in the months following the bin Laden raid have underscored the sharp tensions between Pakistan's weak civilian government, headed by Zardari, and its military leadership, headed by General Ashfaq Kayani.

"I serve at the pleasure of the president of Pakistan and the prime minster of Pakistan. And I have communicated my willingness to resign or participate in any inquiry that brings to an end the vilification against the democratic government of Pakistan currently being undertaken by some elements in the country," said Husain Haqqani, a former journalist who has been Pakistan's ambassador to Washington since 2008.

There has been speculation in the Pakistani media that Haqqani had been involved in the conception or communicating of the memo.

Officials in the Pakistani government were not immediately available to say whether Haqqani's offer had been accepted.

"I have not been named so far as having done anything wrong by anyone except through innuendo. No memo of the kind being discussed in the media was drafted or delivered by me," Haqqani said.

"I should like to add that since I was appointed ambassador in 2008, some people have consistently vilified me as having been involved in undermining the Pakistani armed forces. Which I have never done."

Asked about the memo referred to in the Financial Times column, Captain John Kirby, who was Mullen's spokesman until the admiral stepped down earlier this year, said Mullen initially had no recollection of such a memo but was later able to track it down.

"Neither the contents of the memo nor the proof of its existence altered or affected in any way the manner in which Adm. Mullen conducted himself in his relationship with Gen. Kayani and the Pakistani government," Kirby said. "He did not find it at all credible and took no note of it."

He gave no further details.

&nbsp;]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/293289-husainhaqqani-1321506547/293289-husainhaqqani-1321506547.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Hussain Haqqani being kicked up?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293224/hussain-haqqani-being-kicked-up</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293224/hussain-haqqani-being-kicked-up#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 11 04:25:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[nusrat.javeed]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=293224</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[After a whole day of chase, I finally gOt a source, known for his active contact with the presidency these days.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Dr Fehmida Mirza had to wait for more than seventy minutes Wednesday evening for a respectable number of MNAs to assemble before calling the session to order. With more than half the seats empty and the house giving a forlorn look the legislators dealt with the day’s business half-heartedly. But Allama Hamid Saeed Kazmi fully used the lull before the session to tell his side of the story before an unprecedented crowd of journalists sitting in the press lounge.

Kazmi Sahib has made history in a way by being a minister going straight to the jail from an office under the government of his own party. As a sitting member of the national assembly, he enjoys the privilege of attending the assembly sittings while in detention and he has been doing the same for the past many weeks. So far, he would quietly sneak into the house and leave for jail without much ado. He never made any serious attempt to speak to media and always evaded them if chased.

Wednesday was different. Kazmi Sahib kept speaking nonstop and aggressively employed his rhetorical skills for building the narrative that the real culprits behind the Hajj scam were promoted and protected by none other than the Prime Minister. He also kept referring to a “documentary evidence, duly admitted by the trial court,” wherein one culprit had apparently confessed “gifting” a luxury car to Prime Minister’s son. Since a competent court is already dealing with Allama Sahib, reporters like me have no right to comment upon the veracity of the tale told by him.

As an enthusiastic kibitzer of Pakistan’s political scene, one was still keen to know as to why Allama Sahib decided to speak NOW. Does it have anything to do with Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s coming out into the open? The question has to be put because Allama Sahib is backed by strong pockets of devotees all across the Seraiki belt. Thanks to his father’s clout, he also commands respect amongst ferocious activists of Sunni Tehrik. Throughout his address to the press Wednesday, he kept insisting that he was “maligned by a deeper conspiracy hatched by known opponents of my MASLAK (the school of religious practices.)” Also intriguing was another comment that he kept repeating, almost like a refrain: “I wish to be as powerful as Rana Sanaullah (the vocal law minister of Punjab) surely seems to be these days.” No one in parliament house could answer my questions and Kazmi Sahib had no time to speak with a reporter one on one.

Besides Kazmi, I also worked very hard to get the rumour confirmed or denied that after playing a dazzling innings as Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani was finally being ejected from the scene. After a whole day of chase, I could finally get a source, known for his active contact with the presidency these days. He took my call while travelling to Lahore and only said ‘yes’ to my question in this regard. When pressed for a bit more information he only said: “Such questions are not asked on phone.”

Another reliable source also gave me an affirmative answer, but seriously believed that instead of being “sacked, Haqqani might be kicked upwards. He can still be KEPT in Islamabad as National Security Adviser under watchful eyes to eventually be pushed to oblivion a la Mehmud Ali Durrani.”

The fate, this source suggested for Haqqani, seemed plausible, although knowing him a bit I would still prefer wondering as to why he should land in Islamabad, if things here do not look promising and cheerful to him. He is a full tenure professor of the prestigious Boston University and capable of authoring a stunning bestseller while relying on material he had active access to during the highs and lows of Pak-US relations since March 2008.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/293224-NusratJaveednew-1321478621/293224-NusratJaveednew-1321478621.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Another Zardari-Kayani meeting; Gilani also in attendance</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293217/civil-military-relations-another-zardari-kayani-meeting-gilani-also-in-attendance</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293217/civil-military-relations-another-zardari-kayani-meeting-gilani-also-in-attendance#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 11 00:43:58 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[kamran.yousaf]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=293217</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan’s ambassador to US has still to arrive in Islamabad amid reports that he has offered to resign.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[If Tuesday’s meeting between the army chief and president didn’t create enough buzz, there was another meeting on Wednesday – this time with the prime minister also in attendance.  

The ‘second round’ of talks took place as reports surfaced that Pakistan’s ambassador to US was not flying back immediately after being ‘summoned’ by President Asif Ali Zardari.

Though the official stance is that Ambassador Hussain Haqqani was being called to deliver a briefing to the country’s leadership on Pak-US ties, his summoning came as talk intensified of a purported secret communication between the civilian government and the US administration. The unnamed official who is said to have facilitated the alleged communication, which is said to have been a plea to the US to help reign in the military establishment, is widely regarded to be Ambassador Haqqani.

Unconfirmed reports early Thursday suggested that Ambassador Hussain Haqqani had offered to resign to end the stand off between the civil and military leaderships.

Diplomatic sources said that Haqqani has no immediate plans to travel to Islamabad.

Instead, he is making hectic efforts to reach out to concerned US officials in Washington in a bid to preempt possible move for his ouster, sources added. Haqqani is known to have maintained close links with key American officials – purportedly one of the main reasons for the failure of past efforts to replace him.

When approached, Embassy spokesperson Imran Ghardezi said the Ambassador had received the intimation from Islamabad on Wednesday.

However, he did not give any dates when Haqqani would travel.

“His travel plan is being finalised,” the spokesperson added but attempted to dispel the impression that he was summoned in connection with the alleged letter.

A military official, meanwhile, confirmed that army had expressed serious concerns over the issue and General Kayani raised this matter with the government.

The security establishment reportedly had already been seeking the removal of Haqqani due to his controversial track record. It is said that the army is pushing the government to appoint Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir as new Ambassador to Washington.

The foreign ministry spokesperson, when contacted, refused to comment on the development.

Separately, however, Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said there was no conflict of opinion between the politicians and military hierarchy and Haqqani was asked to come and brief leaders here about the Pak-US relations as is ‘routine’.

Awan strongly denied reports of Haqqani being asked to resign to meet the military’s demand. “The military is very much on the same page with the government,” she said in response to a question on General Kayani not being happy about the alleged letter.

(Read: Dissecting a ‘leak’)

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th,  2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/293217-kayaniZardari-1321490539/293217-kayaniZardari-1321490539.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Pakistan's Ambassador to US, Husain Haqqani offers resignation</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293257/pakistans-ambassador-to-us-husain-haqqani-offeres-to-resign</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/293257/pakistans-ambassador-to-us-husain-haqqani-offeres-to-resign#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 16 Nov 11 22:27:53 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[huma.imtiaz]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=293257</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Haqqan­i had earlie­r been summon­ed for a briefi­ng by Presid­ent Zardar­i.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Sources say Ambassador Husain Haqqani has offered to resign from his post as Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States. According to the source, the Ambassador wrote a letter to President Zardari saying that he had not defamed nor undermined Pakistan’s armed services.

Sources added that Ambassador Haqqani told the President that he was being targeted for vilification by innuendo.

The Pakistani Ambassador was unavailable for comment.

The letter comes days after the Government called Ambassador Haqqani back to Pakistan. At the time, an embassy spokesperson said that Husain Haqqani would leave for Pakistan after "fulfilling his already scheduled meetings with congressmen and other senior US officials."

(Read: PPP Core Committee meeting: President to summon Hussain Haqqani for briefing)

Following the publishing of that report, the Ambassador tweeted in response to a question from a follower that summons for a briefing by the President was a normal event.

Another source claimed that Ambassador Haqani said that he had never really wanted the job in the first place and only did it for democracy and the President.

The source added that the Ambassador said that he has offered to resign and was happy to be a part of any inquiry, and that his fate is in the hands of the President.

The source said that the Ambassador will be travelling to Pakistan in the coming days as he had been asked to.

Rumours about the Ambassador's role in the allegations levelled by Mansoor Ijaz about the memo to Mullen on the sacking of Pakistan’s generals and the involvement of President Zardari and Ambassador Haqqani in the plan have been doing the rounds for days in Pakistan and the United States.

Reports of Haqqani’s offer to resign came hours after the Ambassador addressed a breakfast meeting organised by a US newspaper, where he talked about US-Pakistan relations.

Addressing the breakfast meeting, Ambassador Haqqani said, "The average American does not look upon Pakistan as a reliable ally. The average Pakistani does not look upon the United States as a friend.”

Sources also denied rumours that Ambassador Haqqani had moved out of his official residence.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/293257-HussainHaqqani-1321481365/293257-HussainHaqqani-1321481365.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item><item>
			<title>Closed-doors: President Zardari meets Kayani, Munter</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/292587/closed-doors-president-zardari-meets-kayani-munter</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/292587/closed-doors-president-zardari-meets-kayani-munter#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 15 Nov 11 23:55:38 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[irfan.ghauri]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=292587</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Meetings follow president’s summoning of Pakistan’s ambassador to US.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[With President Asif Ali Zardari having suddenly summoned Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US back to Islamabad, two key meetings took place at the Presidency late on Tuesday.


Ambassador Haqqani has officially been called to deliver a ‘briefing on Pak-US ties’ – but his arrival in Islamabad will coincide with a deepening controversy of alleged back-channel contacts between the Pakistan’s civilian leadership and US high officials, purportedly brokered by a Pakistani-American ‘businessman’.

One of the meetings was with Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani – a day after the army chief reportedly abstained from attending a presidential dinner in honour of the visiting Turkmenistan president.

The Presidency issued a single-sentence statement after the meeting saying that the “current security situation and professional matters pertaining to Pakistan Army were discussed during the meeting.” The ISPR also refused to divulge any details about the meeting and said that it was the Presidency’s prerogative to comment.

According to some media reports, none of the three services chiefs were present at Monday’s official dinner hosted for the Turkmen President, a snub that raised eyebrows. Officials in the Presidency, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that they had invited all three services chiefs and the president and prime minister both noted and inquired about their absence. They said that, under normal practice, in case of their absence, they are represented by three-star officers.

The army chief and chief of naval staff were in town the night of the dinner while the air chief and chairman joint chiefs of staff committee were in Dubai.

The military’s media wing said the presidency had only invited the chairman joint chiefs of staff committee, but he could not make it since he was out of the country. “How could the army chief have attended the function when he was not invited?” asked an ISPR official rhetorically.

Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said under normal protocol all the services chiefs are invited to such functions after confirmation of their availability. He said he does not know who was invited for Monday’s function since the protocol department deals with such issues.

The other key meeting that took place at the Aiwan-e-Sadr was between the president and US Ambassador Cameron Munter. That meeting also produced only a single-line statement from the presidency. It is unclear what was discussed in that meeting – although reports suggest that it was tied to the summoning of Ambassador Haqqani to Islamabad.

(Read: A candid look at Pakistan-US relations)

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16th, 2011.]]>
			</content:encoded>
			<image>
				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/292587-kayaniZardari-1321401288/292587-kayaniZardari-1321401288.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
            </image>
			</item>	</channel>
                </rss>
