High-profile scandal: SC forms larger bench for Memogate case

Hearing has been fixed for January 28; court seeks details of security for Haqqani.

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court constituted a nine-member bench on Monday to resume hearing of the controversial Memogate scandal case, fixed for January 28, 2013. 

The court issued fresh notices to former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani, the Inter-Services Intelligence head, army chief and interior and defence secretaries in the high-profile case.

The court also sought details of the security arrangements desired by Haqqani, which are to be provided to the SC registrar by January 10.  Haqqani had earlier refused to return to the country, citing perceived threats to his life. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will head the bench.



Earlier, a commission had been constituted to probe the memo, allegedly written by Haqqani and addressed to US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Mike Mullen. The commission had recommended taking action against the former ambassador for his involvement in authoring the memo. The report states that Haqqani was “not loyal” to Pakistan while serving as the country’s envoy to  the US, and had sought to undermine the security of Pakistan’s nuclear assets, the armed forces, ISI and the Constitution.

Haqqani, currently in the US, was forced to resign from his post after Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz claimed last year that Haqqani had asked him to pass on the memorandum, on behalf of President Asif Ali Zardari, to Mullen. In the letter, he was apparently seeking the help of the US administration to oust Pakistan’s military leadership. Haqqani, however, has denied the allegations.

Asma Jahangir, the counsel for Haqqani, had also called the Ccommission’s report one-sided and objected on the grounds that Haqqani was deprived of the right to record his statement via video link, unlike Ijaz.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2012.