Govt given five days to register case against Haqqani

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted five days to the federal government to register a case against former Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani.

Haqqani, who was declared accused in the Memo Commission report, had left Pakistan with the commitment that he would come back in the country in four days notice. However, he did not fulfil his undertaking.

Additional Attorney General (AAG) Waqar Rana informed a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar that on Tuesday [March 6] a meeting was held at Attorney General for Pakistan office wherein all the relevant officials, including DG FIA, were present.

The meeting discussed the measures how to bring Haqqani back from America.

The AAG sought time to register the case against Husain Haqqani. The Chief Justice inquired from him that in the last hearing he had committed to register a criminal case against Haqqani but why it had not been done so.

Waqar Rana informed that the delay was caused as they have to take Foreign Office onboard. “The case will be registered in a couple of days,” he added.

Husain Haqqani was allowed to leave the country with the commitment vide order 30.1.2012 whenever the court requires his presence, he will appear in person within a period of four days.

The apex court on 1st December 2011 had formed a commission, headed by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, and comprising Justice Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman, and Justice Mushir Alam to probe the authenticity and purpose of creating/drafting of memo for delivering it to chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.

According to the commission’s finding, “It has been incontrovertibly established that the memorandum was authentic and Haqqani, former Ambassador of Pakistan in USA, was the originator and architect of the memorandum.

Haqqani sought American help; he also wanted to create a niche for himself making himself forever indispensable to the Americans.

He lost sight of the fact that he is a Pakistani citizen and Pakistan’s ambassador to the USA, and therefore his

loyalty could only be to Pakistan.”