Mansoor Ijaz granted visa for Pakistan

Ijaz is expected to appear before the judicial commission on January 24.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani-American businessman, Mansoor Ijaz has, according to some media reports, been issued a visa from the Pakistan embassy in Bern, Switzerland, and will be able to travel to Pakistan on January 24 to appear before a judicial commission.

A key witness of the Memogate scandal, Mansoor Ijaz is likely to appear before the judicial commission tasked with probing the controversy on January 24. Summons for his appearance before the commission on January 16 lapsed as Ijaz deferred his travel plans to Pakistan, citing security reasons.

On Monday, January 16, Ijaz’s counsel, Akram Sheikh, during the probe’s third sitting on Monday at the Islamabad High Court building gave assurances that his client will indeed travel to Pakistan.  The commission comprises chief justices from the Balochistan, Sindh and Islamabad High Courts.

However, Sheikh added that his client and his family have reservations over their security while in Pakistan and believe they may not be allowed to return home. He sought an adjournment of the hearing until the Pakistani-American businessman appears before the commission to provide his testimony. Haqqani’s counsel opposed the adjournment, however, and requested that Ijaz should not be allowed to return until the commission concludes its proceedings. Justice Qazi Faez Isa asked him to file the application before the Supreme Court.

When asked by Justice Isa, “When will [Ijaz] come, we are running short of time,” Sheikh replied that his client has applied for a visa in Pakistan’s consulate in Bern, Switzerland.  He added that Ijaz would ‘hopefully’ be granted a visa within two days, however, his schedule could not be disclosed.

Earlier, the court had directed the Pakistani diplomatic missions in England and Switzerland to grant Ijaz a visa as soon as one was applied for.