ISLAMABAD: 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 & 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.
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Time and events shall unfold the reality that Mr Haqani was traped.may be it was the biggest success of his ,that he remained in his office for more than 3 years despite he was the most disliked of military establisent. Its ironic at the part ofedia as wel, it os projecting 1 side of picture, ijaz mansoor's tht stance is being ignored by military in which it had maligned the isi, Its a very complex prawn game.but in near future its planers shall be disclosed. In my opinion its a failed trick to dismentle civil infrastructure
Hussain Haqqani’s resignation is great setback for Pakistan. This is not fair to blame anyone before the charges are proved. He himself rendered his resignation for transparent and clear inquiry. Better not to set any opinion before the results of inquiry unveiled. If he is proven guilty, he must be punished but if the entire allegation proves fake and fabricated what is the punishment for Mansoor Ijaz. I suggest capital punishment for him. Mansoor Ijaz gave indispensable damage to democracy. Things are fishy on the part of Mansoor Ijaz. His past is dubious and he has leveled several allegations on our top spy agency. He is not trustable at all.
@Maulana Diesel: We must all pray that any replacement is not of the same calibre - again, assuming that the allegations are true.
Any person that seeks the destruction of his/her own nation with outside help should be tried for treason.
You shouldn't have requested the PM to accept your resignation. THE PM SHOULD HAVE FIRED YOU !!!
We should be proud of our National Security Forces and allied Intelligence agencies having capabilities of bringing out facts of very complicated issues by conducting impartial enquiries within no time, having the required resources & competencies. I believe that conducting enquiry by any other forum, will be baised with concocted results.
Haqqani says in his twitt that he has resigned to save our fledgling democracy. Fledgeling after 60 years since establishment. Makes one wonder what Pakistan has been doing all these years just trying to foment trouble in India and hating everything India stands for just because India is predominantly Hindu.
Great news! Next to depart is Zardari and Gilani for their sold out ways. After that Imran wins the election, and US hegemony is removed from the region, sealing the failure of the US in Afghanistan. No Pakistani leader should ever dare wish to give aliens victory.
Great! Bravo! Bravo!
Haqqani showed no loyalty to the country's honor,nor to the defence forces. He proved to be a self promotor and self centered.This episode proves that this 'influential diplomat ' is bird brained. If he was conned by his friend, Mansoor, as he claims, he doesn't have a right to represent Pakistan anyway. But the world knows, at whose behest was he trying to sell the soverignity of Pakistan. All I can say is; Khas cum Jehan Pak, Good riddence, audios.
Sad to hear this. HH was a big target since the day first. So finally he is taken. Very sad.
i think he has put on a wig but doesnt suite him.should buy another one
@Dee Cee: Soldiers don't resign after terror attacks By ur logic soldiers who die on line of duty should be sacked ????
Maybe that what they do in India but lot in Pakistan
Haqqani didn fail e purposely sought to usedermine Pakistan
That's NOT ENOUGH. He should be tried in a military tribunal and the sentence, if any handed down, should be fully and effectively implemented. Besides, others who are directly or indirectly involved in this saga and against whom sufficient material and circumstantial evidence is there, should also be dealt with.
Allah is the best of Planners. Haqqani network destroyed...
Military calls all the shots in Pakistan & it's surprising how HH was tolerated for 3 1/2 years since foreign policy is controlled directly by GHQ & ISI & poor civilians have no say in these matters.
So the military establishment wins again.. and i hope tht our military leaders would learn how to write a resignation from Mr. Haqqani in case May 2, 2011 or PNS Mehran base or Kargil incidents are ever repeated..
I hope that Mr. Haqqani is tried for treason in order to give him an opportunity to clear his name and at the same time Mr. Kiyani is tried for violating his oath of not protecting our motherland on that fateful night of May 2, 2011.. but i guess both will not happen as both the military and civilian leaders are as corrupt as their predecessors..
I call upon Kyani and Pasha to resign for the OBL fiasco to make room for an independent/non-influenced inquiry.
This is free circus by professional jokers. Please enjoy it.
@Faisal: "Coz Civilian are incompetent and corrupt" And who are you Sir?
This will end here this is what establishment wanted. No independent investigations will happen now as both government and establishment will get into a tangle. Mansoor ijaz is not a guy which they can handle.
Pakistan Zindabad.
Good. We should all praise HH. It would have been better that he would have done it right when the memogate scandal got out. It would have saved the present government and Pakistan lot of embarrassment.Now since all of this is laid to rest will someone tell me has any of our khakis resigned after 5/2.....don't we have double standards?
now appoint an ex-ISI agent as ambassador!
Perhaps the People of Pakistan need to learn few lessons from Egyptians !!! How to deal with their Rulers !!! Buy sadly they lack the will and have been indoctrinated in their illusional beliefs for too long.
@John Bosco: Coz Civilian are incompetent and corrupt
& The Military Establishment WINS!
I feel Sorry for you Zardari!! Prove your LOYALTY to at least ONE person in your life , why couldn't you protect your FRIEND ? Be an Iron wall for your friends for god's sake!
Pakistan Army launched large scale offensive against Haqqani Network ......Hussain Haqqani is gone !!!! Uncle Sam, hows it ? :)
RESIGNATION OF HUSSAIN HAQANI AND SUPREME COURT OF PAKISTAN: The matter relating to memogate is not an ordinary matter. Mere resignation of Hussain Haqani is not sufficient to give a clean slate to him or to isolate the matter. The matter pertains to the integrity of Pakistan. The Americans had already a bad eye on our Pak Army and through the alleged letter, an attempt has been made to malign Pak Army. It is also a fact that Hussain Haqani is very near and dear to Mr.Zardari and it is not possible that without the consent of Mr.Zardari Hussain Haqabi would have the courage to take such a step. It is the right time to take an adequate action against the delinquent/delinquents. Very serious matter is already pending before the Supreme court of Pakistan relating to review of NRO. Not this, many other matters relating to present rulers are either decided or subjudiced before the August Court. To my view, despite hectic efforts made by the August court, our rulers are not going to mend their ways. If one door is closed, the rulers open other doors. Although many matters are pending before the Supreme court, yet it is the need of the day that Hon,ble Supreme court make take suo moto notice of the matter concerning memogate allegedly handed over to Mike Mullen and if it is proved that our rulers are involved in this indecent attempt, then they must be ousted there and then. There is no need to wait any further. If we put a glance over the history of the present rulers, the people had already been much annoyed, rather the people are dying due to poverty and other lawlessness prevailing in the country.
Good riddance.
Haqqani resigns , P.M has directed a detailed investigation so far so good But will the public ever find out the truth or as usual it will go in a PATARI which will have a seal no one will ba able to open.from the above comments and their awe inspiring triumph and utter contempt towards civilian government explains why the democracy doesn't work in Pakistan,people of Pakistan never really deserved democracy to start with,as somebody said "Never disturb your enemy when he's committing suicide"
The farce of Pakistani democracy exposed, yet again.
Government should now make him a foreign minister. He is the best among the rest.
It seems he was the scapegoat. He resigned to save someone at the top level.. Alas, how people serve their masters in Pakistan..
Good riddance!
Mansoor Ijaz is a no state actor who made Haqqani to resign.
Is Mansoor Ijaz a Taliban of USA?
I think he was framed
Another victory for the Military - just further weakens an already weak civilian govt. Oh well -- seems like the only time the military is victorious is when they are fighting their own civilian govt - it's not their purpose/job but they seem to excel at it.
"If Mr. Haqqani was innocent, as he has claimed all along, then he should Not have resigned."
@Saleem: I disagree. An ambassador represents his government. If he cannot do so as his government desires he should resign or be removed. Whether he is "innocent" or not has little or nothing to do with it.
@mentelisco: He should have given his resign to FM not PM. He works under her. This is so undemocratic to go straight to Pres and PM.
What is Democratic in today's Pakistan??? Who makes the rules in regard to procedures?? By the way, where is the esteem FM? Why has her office not made any statement regarding this, as this is her portfolio !!!!
Vienna,November 22,2011 Not serious is Pakistan is serious? Is it under Army rule by Civilians under duress? Taravadu Taranga Trust for Media Monitoring TTTMM India --Kulamarva Baaaalakrishna
Comment in Hindustan Times about Haqqani's resignation:
"Good news for India.Haqqani was an extraordinarily capable representative of his country.He far outweighed the traditional lethargy and somnolence of people of the Indian mission in Washington."
Pasha should also show some integrity and dignity and resign for failing to report to the prime minister and instead going to kiyani. Seems like military men lack these in pakistan and just want to remain clinging on through extensions, conspiracies and what not.
scapegoat
HH's resignation proves that he does not want to hurt the democratic process and be in the way of elected govt. Gen Mush wanted to be buried in his uniform and post, so this resignation is novel for Pakistani people. If the establishment thinks that they have seen the last of HH, they are sadly mistaken. HH would be a voice for the people of Pakistan and democracy in the USA as well as Pakistan. If anything, the resignation would enhance his reputation in the world media.
The job of Ambassador from Pakistan to the USA has to be one of the most thankless jobs in the World. Other than location it a lousy job which gets little respect from Pakistan nor the USA.
This part of the news says it all "Haqqani had been asked to resign to make the inquiry process transparent". It proves that Kayani and Pasha still there, no transparent inquiry is possible for the presence of OBL in army base for over 5 years. A disputed memo is a bigger crime than aiding the worst terrorists in the world in our bases. Once again the crude deep state won against a professor. Let us get a dummy to be our man in the US.
Did Kayani resign after OBL and Mehran? Oops!
Proved his loyality to President: didn't reveal any more truth for time being.........................................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By resigning Haqqani has done a great favour to the civilian establishment and also saved his so called boss as mentioned by Ijaz. I dont agree with those who have commented that this resignation tantamounts to defeat of the civilian govt but on the contrary this was probably the best option available in a very embarassing and precarious situation that could have lead to a bigger political disaster in Pakistan, which has been avoided by this master-stroke.
He should have given his resign to FM not PM. He works under her. This is so undemocratic to go straight to Pres and PM.
If Mr. Haqqani was innocent, as he has claimed all along, then he should Not have resigned. Instead he should have taken Mr. Ijaz to a US court. But Mr. Haqqani knows what he is the one who dictated the memo on behalf of his boss to Mr. Ijaz. In court, all the evidence that is out there, if proven, would have crushed him as well as his boss. He instead retreated to save his boss as well as himself.
Tending resignation does not absolve his boss or him of what they did.
This was a dirty game that government of Pakistan played to ask a foreign country for help against its own military. When you ask others to get involve then don’t cry when they start putting finger into your affairs. Keep your dirty laundry at home.
Was Haqqani a kid asking Americans to intervene and help democracy flourish in Pakistan. If at all Haqqani went insane he should have conveyed his feelings to State Office and not American military. I think its not the case of sending memo, Haqqani must have done something else.
Let there be full complete independent inquiry. Put him on ECL.If proved guilty---High Treason and let this not stop at him...let this go as high the foot steps lead to. By the way where was the Foreign Minister in this whole mess especially after the details started unfolding?.
Hello Foreign Office.......any more denials?
Good riddance!
@fairy: Not all books go to heaven.
Matter is so serious that it shuold be threadbarely investigated to bring it to its logical end by exposing the culprits irrespective to their stature.
"I have much to contribute to building a new Pakistan..."...from the convenience of my home in Amreeka.
On one hand he says he is innocent, on the other he gives his resignation .. reminds me of the cartoon I saw here at ET of Haqqani as a sacrificial goat. So apt.
Gone with the Wind
@mentelisco: That's because Pakistanis don't read books and don't understand what's so impressive by all them words. Case in point.
I am glad that he resigned. Once your reputation is smeared, it is better to resign and clear yourself of any charges/allegations. I wish other tainted officials (which we have many of) could learn something from Haqqani and resign as well. That would indeed bring a lot of confidence and faith in the government and system as a whole.
A commission must investigate the entire fiasco and fix responsibility for punishment. If article 6 applies it should be implemented against all those who were involved in this. Even if it goes right to the top.
Big loss to Pakistan. Not many ambassadors will be able to replace Haqqani. Establishment 1 - 0 Civilians
He did NOT submit his resignation, he was asked by the PM to Resign!
@Mooed: those who work for their master's interest and not national face humiliation.
He has been made the fall guy, out of this charade!!!! He must have acted upon instruction from Islamabad, otherwise it does not make sense for diplomat to be involved in such affairs. It must be the first, resignation in Pakistan, as it seems there are people who are still in their office, who have been responsible for far worse damage to the Nation and its people !! The relationship and rapore with Lawmakers in Washington has just got harder, as this guy was at least trusted and respected in the power circles in DC.
Please disclose the name of Lieutenant General Rt. Flan Flan on his way to Washington to resume the charge of Pak emissary in USA.
Good riddance..now time for new elections..
Thank GOD third in line has gone after maj gen durrani and sherry rehman,Their job was to play game in power corridors for their pay master.One more has to go but surprising behaving to some extent.
Dear Mr. Hussain Haqqani:
You have taken the right action by submitting your resignation to the Prime Minister.
Thanks God that you came from Washington in one piece.
Let’s hop that who will be the next person to be deputed in the enemy country where people like Mansoor Ijaz is residing.
The only Husain Haqqani decision I have ever agreed with
Who won and who lost........this is the defeat of democratic/elected government (Hussaain Haqqani) was elected by the democratic PPP Government) and the winner is as always????????
so the civilians retreat yet again when will this end?
Time to write books to impress americans again!