Memogate: Don’t deceive court, where is Haqqani? asks CJP

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday summoned the interior and foreign secretaries after expressing dissatisfaction over the FIA report pertaining to the steps taken for the return of Husain Haqqani, former ambassador to the United States.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar expressed his anger over the failure to bring him back to Pakistan and said, “Don’t deceive the court. Where is Husain Haqqani?”

A three-judge bench headed by the chief justice and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan resumed hearing of identical petitions regarding the Memogate scandal.

The court, after declaring the FIA’s report an eye-wash, directed the two secretaries to appear before the bench today (Wednesday) and explain how much time they need to bring back Haqqani.

In 2011, Haqqani had allegedly delivered a memo to former US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen through Mansoor Ijaz. The memo allegedly had requested the US for support to Pakistani civilian government against its military establishment after the May 2 raid.

On January 29, the chief justice, while hearing a case regarding overseas Pakistanis’ right to vote, had summoned details of the Memogate case. During the hearing, Additional Attorney General Waqar Rana informed the bench that an FIR had been registered and red warrants issued against Haqqani.

The FIR registered on March 10 states that “……. Haqqani during his posting as ambassador of Pakistan in USA (from May 2008 to November 2011) in collaboration with other concerned officers/officials misused his official position, committed cheating, criminal breach of trust and misappropriated approximately USD 2 million of national exchequer of Pakistan per year dishonestly and fraudulently.”

It transpired during the inquiry conducted by the FIA that Haqqani with the criminal intent manipulated the government funds thereby causing huge wrongful loss to the government exchequer. Accordingly a case is being registered against Haqqani, the FIR stated.

“Role of other involved in this crime of embezzlement will be thoroughly thrashed out during the course of investigation,”

it further stated. “Further investigations are underway and will be finalized on receipt of relevant documents and record from the concerned quarters inclusive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad,” the FIR read.

During the hearing, the chief justice asked why the task was taking days when it could be executed within hours.

He observed that a person had run away after giving statements and it had become the matter of the country’s honour.

On February 5, Haqqani in a statement said there were a number of successors of former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhary but none of them touched the case.

"It has been six years since I submitted a review petition to correct legal mistakes in the case. Will the court hear this case too?" he wondered. He had also stated that he would not come to Pakistan on the chief justice’s orders which could not be extended outside Pakistan. The court, however, had issued arrest warrants against him on February 15.