Deadline extended: Court grants memo commission another four weeks

Govt’s attorney opposes move, but gives no reason.

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court on Thursday extended the deadline for the Memogate commission to complete its findings by four weeks.

The extension, however, was opposed by the government’s attorney.

Deputy Attorney General Dil Muhammad Ali Zai said that sufficient time had already been given to the commission for the purpose.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, heading a 10-member bench, asked Zai on whose instructions he was opposing the extension which was requested by the commission’s acting secretary.

Zai said his boss, attorney general Irfan Qadir, had asked him to oppose the move.

Justice Jawwad S Khawaja asked if there was a reason for the opposition. Zai replied he had no reason but was under instructions to oppose the idea.

Other parties in the case, meanwhile, expressed no concern in this regard.

In its written order, the court observed that it failed to understand why the government was opposing the extension, knowing that the commission is in the final stage to conclude its recommendations and has requested some time for the purpose.

Three chief justices of High Courts are sitting on the bench and they realise that this task should be completed as soon as possible, the chief justice said to the government’s attorney.

You are still opposing this, he added.

The attorneys for the two central characters, Mansoor Ijaz and Husain Haqqani, were not present at the hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2012.