Memo: Judicial Commission blasts stooge Interior Secretary, orders Pakistani Visa for Mansoor Ijaz

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Mansoor Ijaz (Left) , Hussain Haqqani (Right)

The Supreme Court's judicial commission probing the memo scandal on Monday directed the concerned authorities to immediately issue visa to Mansoor Ijaz and enhance the security of former Ambassador Hussain Haqqani. As the three member commission headed by Baluchistan High Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Esa resumed its hearing, Pak Army's JAG branch chief Brigadier Nau Bahar presented a written statement through the office of the Attorney General that the Army Chief has already submitted his written statement to the Supreme Court and as he has gone on a pre-planned visit to China, he cannot appear before the Commission personally.

Later PML-N Chief, Mian Nawaz Sharif a petitioner in the Memo case and former Ambassador Hussain Haqqani appeared before the commission and recorded their statements. During the hearing Chief Justice Qazi Faez Esa when inquired from Mansoor Ijaz's Counsel Akram Sheikh when his client would be able to appear, the Lawyer said that his client was not being issued Pakistani visa. Akram Shaikh also provided the commission with a petition filed in a session court for arresting Ijaz and said that a false case was being registered against his client to intimidate him.

The Commission took a serious notice of it and directed the Attorney General for the issuance of visa.  Mr Akram Sheikh assured the court that Mr Mansoor would reach Pakistan immediately after getting visa.

The court also sought an assurance from Interior Secretary Khawaja Siddiq Akbar that Mansoor Ijaz would not be involved in any case on his arrival in Pakistan to which the Interior Secretary expressed his inability. He said he can do so after consultation with the Law Division. The Commission took a serious view of this statement by the Interior Secretary and told him that action can be taken against him for contempt of court and directed him not to leave the court room till its adjournment.

Akram Sheikh further said that Mansoor Ijaz has agreed to appear on Jan 16 before the judicial commission probing the memo issue but said that his arrival depended on the condition that the Blackberry conversation between Ijaz and Haqqani was made available to investigating authorities.

Shaikh said that Ijaz had already issued a legal notice to the telephone company for making the conversation available. According to the company, Haqqani's consent was also needed to provide access to the conversation, he said. When asked regarding his client's consent, Haqqani's lawyer Zahid Bukhari did not give a clear answer. An official of the foreign ministry told the commission that no application for the issuance of visa had been filed.

(The Nation)

Edited by Enticing Fury

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