SC extends Memo commission’s deadline by four weeks

Electronic devices of Mansoor Ijaz were forensically tested by an expert at the Pakistan High Commission in London.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday gave four more weeks to the judicial commission probing the Memogate scandal to complete its findings.

The government’s attorney opposed the extension, saying that sufficient time had already been given to the commission for the purpose.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, heading a 10-member larger bench asked Deputy Attorney General Dil Muhammad Alizai that on whose instructions was he opposing the application of Memo commission’s acting secretary.

Alizai, in reply, said that Attorney General Irfan Qadir told him to oppose this move.  Justice Jawwad S Khawaja asked Alizai for the reason behind this opposition, but he said that he had no reason and was only under instructions.

Other respondents of the case expressed no concern in this regard.

The court, in its written order, observed that it had failed to understand why the government was opposing the time extension decision of the Supreme Court knowing well that the commission is already in its final phase to conclude recommendations and it has required some time for this purpose.

The chief justice asked the government’s lawyer, “Do you know three chief justices of the high courts are sitting in the bench and they realise that the task should be completed as soon as possible but you are instead opposing this?”

Asma Jahangir, the counsel of former ambassador to US Husain Haqqani, and Akram Sheikh, the counsel for Mansoor Ijaz were not present in the court.

Ijaz's electronic devices forensically tested

The secretary of the Judicial Commission tasked with probing the Memogate scandal, has completed the forensic examination of all electronic devices of Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Sources familiar with the matter reported that the examination was carried out by forensic experts at the Pakistani High Commission in London on Thursday under the supervision of the secretary of the commission Raja Jawad Abbas.

All the devices including BlackBerry handsets of Ijaz, the central character of the memogate scandal, were tested.

The Judicial Commission had ordered the forensic examination of Ijaz’s electronic devices on May 5.

After the tests, Ijaz, while talking exclusively to The Express Tribune said that all devices were forensically tested in an eight hour long process. He said that he could not comment on outcome of the tests.

The test results will now be submitted to the commission in “simple language along with an affidavit.”