President Zardari had chosen not to submit reply in Memogate case: CJ
Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq says memorandum just a “piece of paper”, doesn't hold any more value than...
ISLAMABAD:
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, while hearing the Memogate case on Tuesday, said that the Supreme Court had asked President Asif Ali Zardari to submit his reply in the memogate scandal, but he had 'chosen not to'.
Presiding over a nine-member bench, the chief justice said that maybe President Zardari had his own reasons.
Attorney general argued that the court should not hear the petitions because the question of enforcement of fundamental rights was not involved as required under Article 184(3) of the Constitution.
Attorney General of Supreme Court Maulvi Anwarul Haq said that the memorandum was just a “piece of paper” and does not hold any more value than that. Chief justice questioned Haq that if it was just a piece of paper, then why former Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani had to resign and why did Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani make a parliamentary committee to probe into the matter.
The chief justice said that the Memogate probe should be continued in order to clear out ambiguities.
The attorney general told the court that the memo scandal is a political matter and should be looked into in the same way. He also said that the government was not interested in solving the Memogate issue.
Haqqani’s counsel Asma Jehangir said that her client is only alleged to have been involved in the case so far and asked the court to see if the petitioner is using the matter for his own benefit.
The chief justice said that the probe will continue until the person behind the scandal is convicted.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, while hearing the Memogate case on Tuesday, said that the Supreme Court had asked President Asif Ali Zardari to submit his reply in the memogate scandal, but he had 'chosen not to'.
Presiding over a nine-member bench, the chief justice said that maybe President Zardari had his own reasons.
Attorney general argued that the court should not hear the petitions because the question of enforcement of fundamental rights was not involved as required under Article 184(3) of the Constitution.
Attorney General of Supreme Court Maulvi Anwarul Haq said that the memorandum was just a “piece of paper” and does not hold any more value than that. Chief justice questioned Haq that if it was just a piece of paper, then why former Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani had to resign and why did Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani make a parliamentary committee to probe into the matter.
The chief justice said that the Memogate probe should be continued in order to clear out ambiguities.
The attorney general told the court that the memo scandal is a political matter and should be looked into in the same way. He also said that the government was not interested in solving the Memogate issue.
Haqqani’s counsel Asma Jehangir said that her client is only alleged to have been involved in the case so far and asked the court to see if the petitioner is using the matter for his own benefit.
The chief justice said that the probe will continue until the person behind the scandal is convicted.