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Another ‘final reprieve’ for elusive Mansoor Ijaz
Parliamentary committee gives key witness until Feb 10 to appear before it.
Parliamentary committee gives key witness until Feb 10 to appear before it.
ISLAMABAD: He’s adamant, but they’re relentless.
Despite two refusals by Mansoor Ijaz to visit Pakistan and appear before the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS), Memogate’s central character has been given another ‘last chance’ to appear before the panel on February 10 and prove his allegations against former envoy to the US Husain Haqqani.
The panel also expressed its ‘satisfaction’ over the security arrangements made by the government for Ijaz.
“We will pass final recommendations in the case if Ijaz fails to appear before the committee on February 10,” said panel’s chief Senator Raza Rabbani while speaking to The Express Tribune.
Recommendations will be forwarded to the “concerned quarter,” he added, not specifying if that would be the prime minister or parliament.
Notice to Ijaz will be issued through the foreign ministry, Rabbani said, adding that the secretary for the judicial commission also probing Memogate will hand over PCNS’ notice to Ijaz, if he arrives to appear before the commission on February 9.
“Neither Ijaz nor his counsel submitted a reply to the committee,” a lawmaker who attended the panel’s Thursday proceedings told The Express Tribune.
“Ijaz is backpedaling on the memo issue,” the lawmaker added while quoting his colleagues’ observations.
Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq briefed the committee on the security arrangements for Ijaz and assured the panel that the government has already announced the best possible arrangements. Rabbani said the government could reconsider the arrangements if it felt the need to do so but lawmakers feel adequate measures have been put into place.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif offered ‘adequate security’ to Ijaz if he came to Punjab to record his statement.
Talking to Express News, Sharif said that he will take personal responsibility of providing complete security to Ijaz during his visit to Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2012.
Read more:
memogate
Reader Comments (17)
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Both the govts ( Pakistan & USA ) do not want MI to appear…??Recommend
Why make all this fuss? If they really want to question him, than why can it not be done by vidoe link from Europe, as it will save the Taxpayers the burden of costs for his security and also for MI to know that his safety is not going to be on line !
Why is this not an option for SC or GA???
What difference will this arrangement make to the investigation??
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I am not fan of this government but I think it is time to let this issue go and concentrate on things which are more important.
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@Ishrat Salim:
PCNS is going to wait for long time for him to show up. How is US government involved in this unless it is another conspiracy by the US-India-Israel trio to destabilize a stable Pakistan.
Dude, get some sense.
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Mansoor Ejaz should demand 10 million dollars for his appearence before SC.
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We even can’t get any foreign cricket team come here.
VIP security to Sri Lanka team, Governor Salman Taseer, Bibi Sahiba. HA! HA!
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After yet another funal chance and final notice the begging would start. How much longer can Pakistan, army, SC and govt continue with this manufactured case and humiliate the country and nation?
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The reason why Mansoor Ejaz is suppose to physically appear before the Judicial Commission is to get himself identified and take oath on the holy book that what ever he will say, he will say the truth and will not hide any thing from the court.
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@Ishrat Salim:
why do pakis mention USA as if they are somehow on equal terms with them…and US could’nt care less what happens to this paki…infact if a paki leaves US they welcome it…
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The army should offer free plots of lands in Defense housing schemes to Mr Ejaz to lure him to come to Pakistan.
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If judiciary really want Mansoor Ijaz to appear before them ,they should stop so called Interior Minister & those of his ilk to stop issuing threatening statements.
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@Ishrat Salim:
The US doesn’t really care what he does beyond the aspects that come from him being a citizen like any other. We have no laws against traveling, being shameless or starring in soap operas.
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Did we miss the quarter-final chance and semi-final chances for Mansoor Ijaz? Good thing that after the “final chance” the court is giving him “another final chance”. I’m looking forward next to the “yet another final chance”, the “final, final chance” and the “really this time its final chance”, followed by the “I really mean it, there will be no more final chances final chance”.
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The boy who cried wolf.
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By giving so much attention to this two bit hustler focus is being lost on more urgent and important issues. Media needs to mature to make this distinction.
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Masoor Ijaz’s lawyer Akram Sheikh is bent upon degrading Pakistan and the whole nation by all means. It is typical Pakistani mentality which Akram Sheikh is exhibiting.
There is no need for the memo scandal commission to go abroad to record Mansoor Ijaz’s statement, as if he would have been right in his statement, he would have come to Pakistan. The merit of the case cannot be judged by recording statement of the witness abroad who has created chaos for Pakistan time and again. What one can expect from Mansoor Ijaz. Is he going to talk since in a foreign country? Being a Muslim, Mansoor Ijaz must know that whenever Al-Mighty Allah would like to call him back, any place or the country will not matter.
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Can we please put the Memogate issue to rest now that Mansoor Ijaz, the star witness in this case, has refused to come to Pakistan? It is quite sad to see that the time of the superior judiciary is being wasted on a political issue while there are hundreds of thousands of people still waiting for justice in cases that have been in the courts for decades. It is time to end the Memogate issue and concentrate on things that are far more important to this country and its people’s well being. Memogate is dead now, it was a conspiracy that ha reached to its logical conclusion. Mansoor Ijaz will never ever visit Pakistan because he knew that he is a liar, he has no moral grounds to prove what he articulated. His aim was to earn fame, so he succeeded because of our silly and insane media and anti Govt judiciary.
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