Memogate: “Phone data confirms Ijaz-Haqqani contacts”: SC Memo Commission

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ISLAMABAD – Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who heads the memo commission, has said that telephone records submitted by US businessman confirm contacts between Mansoor Ijaz and Husain Haqqani. As the judicial commission probing the memogate scandal resumed hearing on Thursday, it directed Haqqani’s lawyer to complete cross-questioning Ijaz by Sunday so the commission could finalise its findings in time. Advocate Zahid Bokhari, counsel of former Pakistani Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani, asked Mansoor Ijaz to reveal the names of intelligence agencies whose chiefs had told him (Mansoor) that Pakistan Army was mulling a coup.

“The question is not related to the case, therefore, I am sorry I won’t answer it,” Mansoor replied. However, he said he has been in touch with intelligence agencies of 29 countries but insisted he cannot disclose their names. Ijaz had told the commission on March 2 that he delivered a memo to the former US military chief Admiral Mullen last year because the spy agencies of four countries had told him about the possibility of a military coup in Pakistan after the killing of Osama bin Laden last year. Zahid Bokhari, while cross-examining Ijaz, stated that the US businessman was always against Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities. Ijaz replied that he was against proliferation and not the nuclear programme. He said that though he had written an article alleging Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan of stealing nuclear secrets, he was not inherently against Pakistan’s nuclear programme.

Ijaz also revealed that he had arranged for a meeting between Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik and officials from the Indian spy agency RAW in a matter related to US security. Ijaz refused to provide details. Bokhari requested the commission to seek Ijaz’s passport so it could be examined for entry and exit stamps and the Mansoor Ijaz was told to bring his passport on Friday. According to a private TV channel, as the cross-examination was continuing, Husain Haqqani also arrived at the Pakistani High Commission in London and appeared before the memo commission via video link. Haqqani has so far submitted his telephone records for the months of May, September, October and November 2011, but said he cannot locate his Blackberry handsets and therefore cannot provide them to the commission.

“Husain Haqqani has lost both his Blackberry sim card and handset; therefore, he cannot produce the complete data sought by the commission. However, he will fully cooperate with the commission,” Haqqani’s lawyer told the commission. Haqqani said that despite his earnest and sincere efforts, he had failed to locate his Blackberry handsets. He explained to the commission that any other contact with Mansoor Ijaz through BBM could therefore not be verified, denied or confirmed on account of the non-availability of the relevant data. The commission confirmed the validity of phone bills provided by Ijaz and also opened a sealed envelope of the draft sent by the US businessman. Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who heads the commission, said that this was not a draft but a part of the information. He observed that the telephone records submitted to the commission confirmed contacts between Ijaz and Haqqani. The commission adjourned proceedings until Friday noon.

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