Memogate created to destabilize PPP-led government

Counsel for former ambassador Hussain Haqqani, Zahid Bukhari on Tuesday claimed that the infamous memogate saga was created to destabilize the incumbent government.

Before leaving for London for cross-examination of Mansoor Ijaz, the main architect of the controversial memogate, Bukhari spoke to the media saying the scandal was nothing more than a bunch of lies.

He observed, “Mansoor Ijaz is a liar and my cross-examination will expose him. Huge money from the public exchequer has been spent on the foreign investigations. I swear nothing would come out of this and all was done to stop Senate polls”.

Former ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani on Monday submitted his reply to the Judicial Commission, defending himself against all the allegations leveled against him by Mansoor Ijaz and terming them baseless.

Sajid Tanoli, the other counsel of Hussain Haqqani, submitted the reply on behalf of his client, which includes copies of his telephone bills from May to November 2011.

Haqqani claimed that the Blackberry messages were removable, clarifying their intension to contest and rebut every point raised by US businessman, Mansoor Ijaz. He said he never denied having contacts with Ijaz, but he didn’t discuss any secret message with him.

Tanoli while briefing the media also quoted a statement from Ijaz’s sworn testimony, saying that the latter had admitted to conveying the memo to General James Jones without any instructions from his client.

Therefore, he argued, there was nothing more left in the case, and further proceedings should be endangered.

Earlier, the Judicial Commission, tasked by the Supreme Court to investigate the memogate, directed Husain Haqqani to submit a response on the evidence provided against him and to provide the commission copies of bills of his cellular communication, along with his BlackBerry Pin codes, in writing which he had used between March and November, 2011, by March 15.

It also ordered the government of Pakistan and Haqqani to produce the copies of mobile phone bills which were used by the latter during the period between March 2011 and November.

The government was also directed by the probing panel to provide detailed information in writing of his numbers which he used in that period, ownership of handsets, names of the service provider and all cell phones.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Mar 13 2012. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.