Judicial panel: Memo commission gets six-week extension
The Supreme Court extended on Thursday the term of a judicial commission probing the Memogate scandal for six weeks.
A 10-member larger bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, observed that the commission’s probe is one of high importance and should conclude soon.
The apex court was hearing a petition filed by former ambassador to Washington Husain Haqqani’s counsel Asma Jehangir, which sought permission for Haqqani to record his statement via video link, as was done in the case of self-proclaimed whistleblower in the memo case, Mansoor Ijaz.
However, in the absence of Asma Jehangir, the court did not examine Haqqani’s application seeking permission to record his statement via a video link.
The court also took exception over the late arrival of the attorney general in the courtroom. “This case is very important; three of our sitting chief justices of the high courts are engaged in this case,” the chief justice remarked.
Advocate Chaudhry Akhtar Ali, on behalf of Asma Jehangir, informed the court that she will be back by April 17 and requested the court to extend the deadline of the commission.
Akhtar Mengal, counsel for General (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch, drew the attention of the court towards some contemptuous contents of the case. But the court observed that the issue would be examined when Haqqani’s application is taken up.
While showing concern over Haqqani’s letter received by the Registrar of the Supreme Court on March 28 in which he had addressed the chief justice, the court asked Haqqani to adopt official means while sending any document instead of addressing judges of the court. The letter had sought confidentiality but some of its contents have already been published in the media, the chief justice said.
The chief justice announced that there is no review petition against the court’s earlier order, which stated that Haqqani would attend the commission’s proceedings on a four-day summons.
“The commission could issue a red warrant against Haqqani if he fails to appear before the commission on four days notice and it could also recommend delinquency on the part of Haqqani to the Supreme Court,” Mengal said, quoting from the court order. “I told the court that the commission’s work is almost done; so it should be asked to complete its task within one week,” he said.
In his application, Haqqani said he has grave security concerns because of many ‘frivolous’ and ‘sensational’ allegations levelled by Ijaz during the recording of his statements. He had said his family was fearful for his life in case he travelled to Pakistan.
Asma Jehangir will plead Haqqani’s case in the apex court. However, she had refused to argue his case before the commission.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 30th, 2012.
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Main argument was that memo has endangered life of Pakistanis including Nawaz Sharif, hence it is a matter of fundamental rights and falls well with in the jurisdiction of Supreme court. She booked this case being a case of fundamental rights, more over there was hardly any one who could withstand against military in the court. Asma argued that if memo endanger life of people and it is matter of fundamental rights then why Supreme Court thrown away number of petitions filed against drone attacks which killed thousands of Pakistanis what to talk about their rights. In this case Judiciary behaved and is still behaving like friend and foe threatening to cancel licenses of lawyers which is disappointing making it controversial. Pakistan is already at brink cannot afford further controversies. Judges are highly biased and it is totally unfair to behave partially.
We all know there is only one boss in Pakistan and all roads lead to Rawalpindi. Time and time again they have shown the local puppets and international players who is the real master when it comes to setting policy matters. Mr. Haqqani served a purpose but was never accepted as a “reliable” state sponsor, thus when his role became a deterrence he was removed. Had the local political setup read the tea leaves earlier, then there was no need for this hullaballoo. Unfortunately for us Pakistanis even the intelligence agencies suffer from a lack of credible intelligence and have fallen back in times thus the embarrassing circus of hiring a dubious character such as Mansoor Ijaz. Then again, do they care? Not really, job done doesn’t matter whether we Pakistanis are now being ridiculed by the international media. Let’s just wait for the next episode of spy versus spy.
Memogate served one very useful purpose: it showed the world exactly who is the boss in Pakistan. That’s because an ambassador’s function is to represent his government; the moment he loses its confidence he is removed. The Pakistani military wanted Mr. Haqqani out and he went. So in Pakistan it really is the military who have the final say and elected officials and their appointees are mere functionaries to be removed at their will. No wonder so many legislators don’t do a serious job of serving anything but their own venality, or that the SC is the only institution to try to check the generals and the ISI.
judiciary is digging a hole for itself ,even if MI was right,he has no credibility left now
Why so much fuss over a piece of unsigned paper without concrete evidence? It seems that our judiciary is so free that it has nothing to do except meddling in the national affairs. The most hilarious thing which I perceived is that Mansoor Ijaz has no moral grounds even in USA and no one is ready to believe what he says or do but our judiciary presented him as a hero, who is even not a villain in real. Check out his level of propaganda against Pakistan’s national interest. Mansoor Ijaz said that even though he had written an article alleging Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan of stealing nuclear secrets, he was not inherently against Pakistan’s nuclear program.” Good news, he is not against Pakistan, army, ISI, Govt, or nuclear program, he only writes against it and spits venom about it on TV. He is confessing to be related to two dozen foreign agencies, yet our SC and HC would go to any length to authenticate his statements. How many judges of high judiciary are chasing and fooled by this infamous agent?
Memo commission is proving highly biased and partial in memogate scandal. Hussain Haqqani is facing real life threats and I think for Pakistan he is much more important than a third class liar and immoral US citizen. It was sad indeed that Memo commission is showing high egalitarianism. It is tantamount to humiliate an honorable ex ambassador who rendered priceless services for Pakistan. It is not the case of Hussain Haqqani only we are habitual of treating our heroes in the same ways that’s today Pakistan stands nowhere in the world countries. The countries whose judiciary, start playing politics can never make progress. Being a Pakistan, Hussain Haqqani is hundred thousand times more respectable for me than a shady-nincompoop Mansoor Ijaz and Hussain Haqqani should be equally treated. There should be a free and fair trial rather than witch hunting.
Why was Haqqani allowed to leave the country? He will be fool, if he returns now, which he is not.