Memogate: Haqqani, Ijaz counsels conclude arguments

Commission adjourned proceedings till Friday.


Obaid Abbasi May 03, 2012

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial commission probing the Memogate scandal, heard concluding arguments from lawyers of Husain Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz at the Islamabad High Court on Thursday.

Former Pakistan ambassador to US, Husain Haqqani restated his case for submitting his statement via video conference, before asking the commission to provide him unedited copies of all video recordings of the proceedings along with transcripts.

Haqqani’s counsel, Zahid Bukhari maintained that his clients was interested in recording his statement via video link and requested that the commission provide him with that opportunity.

However, Justice Qazi Faiz Essa, heading the commission, reminded him that Haqqani’s application in that regard had already been rejected.

Responding to the request of providing unedited copies of transcripts and video recordings, Justice Essa told Haqqani’s attorney that the commission is not bound to provide them with each and every thing. On this Bukhari said that proceeding of the commission is a piece of evidence and  many things took place during four month’s of proceedings, and that it was his legal right to be provided with complete copy of video recordings and transcripts.

Earlier on the previous date of the hearing, the commission had directed all lawyers to conclude their respective arguments.

During the course of the hearing on Thursday, Akram Sheikh, the counsel for Mansoor Ijaz, concluded his arguments.

In his argument, Sheikh maintained that Haqqani had given contemptuous interviews to three different local and international television channels on which he criticised the judicial commission and the Supreme Court.

While submitting copies of the interviews before the commission, Sheikh said that on the one hand Haqqani was reluctant to record his statement before the commission, while on the other he criticised the commission’s proceeding by giving interviews in the media.

He said that his client, Mansoor Ijaz, had recorded his statement and provided the necessary details, but Haqqani neither provided the court with his Blackberry mobile hand set, nor recorded his statement.

Haqqani’s counsel, however, opposed Sheikhs arguments. Bukhari said that Akram Sheikh was trying to divert the commission’s attention and requested the commission to focus on concluding arguments.

The lawyers of other petitioners’ including Barrister Zafarullah Khan and Advocate Salahuddin Mengal were not present during the hearing. They are due to start their concluding arguments on Friday.

After Sheikh had concluded his arguments, the commission adjourned the hearing till Friday. Commission is likely to submit its findings before May 12, when SC six weeks extension is due to expire.

COMMENTS (12)

Salma | 11 years ago | Reply

Why should the commission treat our citizen equal to the enemy of Pakistan now? Mansoor Ijaz is the only witness for the courts who have appointed Mansoor Ijaz and their chief prosecutor as well. Sorry the PCO judges could not find a bigger and more open enemy of Pakistan and Army than Mansoor Ijaz. This case has as much merit as the manufacturing drugs charges against the PM’s son. How many man-hours and money would the Supreme Court judges and three HC CJ take to decide one case based upon just one witness and one unsigned memo?

Nadeem | 11 years ago | Reply

I request Judiciary to please stop agonizing people in the name of unsigned paper, a coined story with fake characters. Memo is a dead horse, why you are trying to find something out of nothing. There is a quagmire of issues, why you don’t take panic to resolve them. People are dying for justice and you are playing memo game. Please grow up a mature nation, we have to travel a long. How long we will continue spreading controversies and playing politics, Pity on the poor people of Pakistan. Masses have nothing to do with memo. They are not interested in conspiracies, they want justice, they want good governance, they want better life and you are busy in political games. Is this what your portfolio demands? Or is it you have taken oath for? Please show some mercy on the million of people of this ill fated country.

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