Demands making Abbottabad Commission report public
MULTAN: Former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has said the writing of a letter by the PPP government to Husain Haqqani is a non-issue, but it is being highlighted as part of a malicious campaign against the PPP.
Talking to the media here at the residence of former minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi on Friday, he said that he had delegated the visa issuing authority to the-then Pak ambassador, Husain Haqqani, in accordance with the law.
Issuance of visa is the prerogative of the ambassador concerned, he said adding that Husain Haqqani neither informed the government nor Pakistan’s foreign ministry in some cases.
In reply to a question, he rejected the role of the establishment in Haqqani’s visa issue.
“I am seeking answers of questions, but no one is ready to respond. My question is as to who removed Haqqani’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL) and how he freely flew back to the US?”
He said the PPP government had constituted a parliamentary committee to investigate, but “someone” allowed Haqqani to go back to the US.
Gilani said the PPP government did not issue visas to the US personnel, who took part in the operation against Osama Bin Laden.
When Gilani was asked that ex-foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had disclosed that the PPP government was informed about the issuance of visas to the US forces, Gilani said: “Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi wanted to get himself inducted as foreign minister again.”
He demanded if there was any record of issuance of visas to the US forces, it must be made public. If he had written any letter about the issuance of visas, that letter should be made public. He demanded that the judicial commission report on the Abbottabad operation must be made public.
Agencies add: Yusuf Gilani claimed his government followed rules and procedures in visa issuance. He said the letter directed the ambassador to ensure timely visas, not to bypass visa conditions. This was to speed up the process. He clarified that visas were supposed to be given to those recommended by the State Department of the US, which had to explain the reason for visa issuance.
“The letter absolutely does not authorise visa issuance to the US special forces, which took part in the Abbottabad raid,” he added.
“I gave the letter to Husain Haqqani through proper procedure and not by hand. The letter went through the relevant ministries through rules of business,” Gilani said. He said that if the matter was to be probed, it should start from 2002.
A letter dated July 14, 2010 surfaced days after Haqqani claimed that with the authorisation of the-then elected civilian leaders, he had facilitated the presence of a large number of CIA operatives in Pakistan to track down Osama bin Laden.
Responding to the latest development, PPP’s Senator Farhatullah Babar said that visas to the American nationals were issued after following due procedure and added that all the answers related to this issue are in the Abbottabad Commission report.
Explaining the party position after a letter circulating in the media suggested that Prime Minister Gilani had empowered the envoy in 2010 to directly issue visas to Americans without the approval of concerned officials, he said there was nothing new or wrong in the letter sent to the Embassy in Washington.
In the statement, Babar said the timing of the letter leaking to the media was suspect.
Targeting the-then military establishment, Babar said the central question is not who, following due process, gave visas to some Americans who may have eventually been able to hunt and take Laden out.
He demanded an inquiry into Pakistan’s visa issuance policies and procedures across the board from 2001 onward.
Targeting some individuals or a political government for political purposes will not advance the national security interests, he said.
