Abbottabad panel to question envoy to UK

Wajid Hassan asked to explain statements that authorities were aware of US raid.


Express December 12, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s high commissioner to the UK, Wajid Shamsul-Hassan, has been summoned by the Abbottabad commission, formed to probe the May 2 operation at the alleged compound of Osama bin Laden, over statements he had made regarding the raid.

In interviews with foreign media, the envoy did not rule out the possibility that Pakistani leadership, both civilian and military, might have been “aware beforehand” about the midnight operation in the garrison city, in which the US claimed it killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

An Indian TV channel telecast an interview of Wajid Shamsul Hassan during which he claimed that the Pakistan government was aware of the operation and further stated that Bin Laden’s presence in the area was known 10 days before the operation took place.

He has been asked to appear before the panel by the end of this month.

However, it is yet to be ascertained whether Shamsul Hassan, who, notably, did not attend an important conference of Pakistani envoys in Islamabad on Monday, will appear before the commission.

An alleged memo written after the raid to the then US military chief seeking American help to rein in the country’s powerful military created ripples in the country and cost former envoy in Washington Husain Haqqani his job.

Haqqani was also scheduled to appear before the commission on December 14.

An official associated with the commission told The Express Tribune that Haqqani has not confirmed whether he will appear before the panel yet, but is likely to give a final reply today (Tuesday).

The commission will also be meeting today (Tuesday) but the official said he was not aware of the agenda of this meeting.

Interestingly, in its official announcement, the commission did not mention a specific date on which it wants Ambassador Shamsul Hassan to appear before it. It only stated that he has been called to appear in the last week of December.

The official handout further said that during Monday’s hearing the commission held a detailed interactive session with eminent legal experts including Wasim Sajjad, Justice Nasira Iqbal and SM Zafar.

On Thursday, head of the Abbottabad Commission Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal in his first press conference since assuming charge claimed that the commission was hopeful to complete its task by end of December and would hand over its report to the government soon afterwards.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2011.

COMMENTS (18)

Abdul Rahman Khan | 12 years ago | Reply

"His Excellency" was arrested and was allegedy sick while lying handcuffed in hospital on criminal charges during Farooq leghari's presidency. He was later released on bail and wasted no time to fly back to london. He never returned to pakistan eversince. This was a case waived under the ill-reputed NRO. Zardari whose name frequently appeared in corruaption cases, appointed his excellency as high commissioner when the peoples party came into power a third time. His excesslency's name also appeared in reports that some documents were tampered with in the files returned by the swiss court who was trying zardari and his late spouse for corruption and money laundruing. His excellency was fearful that if he comes to pakistan in the envoys conference or his being summoned up by the abbottabad commission he might suffer the same fate as that of husain haqqani, so he didn't come. Clever, isn't it?

Raj | 12 years ago | Reply

This man lacks the basic skills to represent the Nation, as diplomat !!! He is too error prone !!!!

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