Interpol says charges against Haqqani political

LONDON: The International Criminal Police Organisation (known as Interpol) has turned down Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)’s request to issue arrest warrants for Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani who is now based in Washington.

The News has received an official copy of the Interpol letter that confirms that it has not issued an arrest warrant for Haqqani and that he’s not a person of interest to Interpol.

“The General Secretariat of the International Criminal Police Organisation, Interpol, hereby certifies that as of today (April 18, 2018), Mr Husain Haqqani, born on July 1, 1956, is not subject to an Interpol Blue Notice or diffusion and is not known in Interpol’s data basis,” a letter issued by Interpol’s office of legal affairs says.

The Interpol confirmed it had issued the certificate on the request of Haqqani’s lawyer amid newspaper reports in Pakistan that DG FIA went to Interpol headquarters in Lyon to seek warrants for his arrest.

In the last week of March, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar took notice of the ‘Memogate’ case and gave Pakistani government one month's notice to bring back Husain Haqqani, who is the accused in the Memogate scandal. While hearing the case, the chief justice of Pakistan remarked the court would not tolerate further delay in Haqqani’s return. He said no positive development has taken place regarding Haqqani’s return.

The chief justice had questioned the director general of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) at the same hearing on Haqqani’s return, to which the latter said they would contact Interpol for the red warrant once a permanent one is issued. The Interpol had refused to honour warrants against the former diplomat’s arrest issued by the Supreme Court on grounds that charges against him were ‘political’ and the criteria was not met. On the Supreme Court’s insistence, the FIA registered a case against him for embezzlement and other crimes and sent arrest warrant request to the Interpol.

The memo sent by Haqqani in 2011 allegedly mentioned a possible army coup in Pakistan following the US raid in Abbottabad to kill Osama bin Laden. The memo sought assistance from the US for the then-Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government for 'reigning in the military and intelligence agencies'. A judicial commission tasked to probe the case had concluded that the memo was authentic and authored by the former envoy.

Haqqani said on Saturday he has been vindicated after the Interpol refused to issue arrest warrants for him. Husain Haqqani added he had not received any notice, summons, or warrant from Pakistan through any legal channel.