Clarification: Ambassador Alisherzai denies news report

Ambassador denies allegation that letter sent by Saudi prince in Hajj scam case was sent at his instigation.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Umar Khan Alisherzai has denied a report in The Express Tribune on December 25 captioned “Saudi Prince withdraws complaint” alleging that “the letter sent by the Saudi Prince to the Supreme Court of Pakistan was sent at the instigation of Pakistan’s Ambassador in Saudi Arabia”.

Terming the report as “false and malicious”, the ambassador said he was directed by the ministry of foreign affairs to confirm the authenticity of Prince Bandar bin Khalid bin Abdul Aziz’s letter as desired by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The ambassador said he had contacted the prince accordingly who confirmed the authenticity of the letter, says a press release received from Jeddah on Tuesday. The ambassador denied any personal involvement saying “how could an ambassador instigate a Saudi prince to write a letter to the chief justice of the Supreme Court.”

Ambassador Alisherzai said that the report appears to have been concocted at the behest of the vested interests’ group, who are involved in the Hajj scam. The ambassador also denied any involvement in the hiring process and added that it was carried out by the DG Hajj. He once again showed his sincerity and readiness to appear before any court at any time to help the judiciary in this respect.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2010.