Close friends of President Asif Ali Zardari living in the United Arab Emirates have approached former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in an effort to get him to rejoin the Pakistan Peoples Party, or at least to persuade him not to ally with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, The Express News 24/7 has learnt.
Sources privy to the development said that the mediators met with Qureshi on November 18 to discuss the matter. “He did not categorically refuse to reconcile with the president.”
Sources said that the presidency had conveyed to Qureshi that his resignation from the party had not yet been accepted. Qureshi announced on November 14 that he was resigning from the party (in his words, “the Zardari League”) as well as his seat in the National Assembly.
Qureshi, who is due to return to Pakistan on November 21 and meet PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif the next day, told the president’s emissaries that he would make his final decision after meeting Sharif.
Sources said the PPP would not accept Qureshi’s resignation before then. They added that the party had done a rough survey in the former foreign minister’s constituency, NA-148, and found that he would easily win a by-election there.
The president is “very worried” about the possibility of Qureshi joining the PML-N, said a PPP source, as this would hurt the PPP vote-bank in upper Sindh and southern Punjab. He confirmed the president was seeking to bring Qureshi back into the PPP, but it was premature to say whether this would happen.
PPP MPA Dr Akhtar Malik, a close ally of Qureshi whose PP-202 constituency falls within the boundaries of NA-148, said that there had been contact between the two sides but refused to elaborate. He said Qureshi’s meeting with Nawaz would “clear 60 per cent of the smoke” around his future. Malik said that the presidency had also approached him to reconcile but he had refused and told them that he stood with Qureshi.
PPP Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira and presidential spokesman Farahatullah Babar were not available for comment.
Punjab Assembly supporters
Meanwhile, Qureshi’s so-called two-member forward bloc in the Punjab Assembly is already showing strains, with one of the members indicating that he will remain loyal to the PPP. Malik Abbas Raan said that he had met with PPP leader Raja Riaz on November 17 and assured him of his support, provided his demands were met.
Raan said though he had welcomed Qureshi at the Multan Airport when the former foreign minister announced his exit from the PPP, he could not quit his MPA and party positions until he got permission to do so from his constituents.
However, sources said that Raan was quitting because he had not been guaranteed support for his re-election. Raan is a member of the Punjab Assembly from PP-20, which is also within the boundaries of NA-148.
Sources said that when Qureshi had last discussed the matter with the PML-N, the party had agreed to letting Dr Malik win back PP-202, but had not agreed to support Raan at PP-201.
Sources privy to the development said that the mediators met with Qureshi on November 18 to discuss the matter. “He did not categorically refuse to reconcile with the president.”
Sources said that the presidency had conveyed to Qureshi that his resignation from the party had not yet been accepted. Qureshi announced on November 14 that he was resigning from the party (in his words, “the Zardari League”) as well as his seat in the National Assembly.
Qureshi, who is due to return to Pakistan on November 21 and meet PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif the next day, told the president’s emissaries that he would make his final decision after meeting Sharif.
Sources said the PPP would not accept Qureshi’s resignation before then. They added that the party had done a rough survey in the former foreign minister’s constituency, NA-148, and found that he would easily win a by-election there.
The president is “very worried” about the possibility of Qureshi joining the PML-N, said a PPP source, as this would hurt the PPP vote-bank in upper Sindh and southern Punjab. He confirmed the president was seeking to bring Qureshi back into the PPP, but it was premature to say whether this would happen.
PPP MPA Dr Akhtar Malik, a close ally of Qureshi whose PP-202 constituency falls within the boundaries of NA-148, said that there had been contact between the two sides but refused to elaborate. He said Qureshi’s meeting with Nawaz would “clear 60 per cent of the smoke” around his future. Malik said that the presidency had also approached him to reconcile but he had refused and told them that he stood with Qureshi.
PPP Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira and presidential spokesman Farahatullah Babar were not available for comment.
Punjab Assembly supporters
Meanwhile, Qureshi’s so-called two-member forward bloc in the Punjab Assembly is already showing strains, with one of the members indicating that he will remain loyal to the PPP. Malik Abbas Raan said that he had met with PPP leader Raja Riaz on November 17 and assured him of his support, provided his demands were met.
Raan said though he had welcomed Qureshi at the Multan Airport when the former foreign minister announced his exit from the PPP, he could not quit his MPA and party positions until he got permission to do so from his constituents.
However, sources said that Raan was quitting because he had not been guaranteed support for his re-election. Raan is a member of the Punjab Assembly from PP-20, which is also within the boundaries of NA-148.
Sources said that when Qureshi had last discussed the matter with the PML-N, the party had agreed to letting Dr Malik win back PP-202, but had not agreed to support Raan at PP-201.
PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, who always strove to keep family members, particularly females, away from politics, is learnt to have given a green signal to his elder daughter Maryam to join politics and the rumours were confirmed after Maryam admitted that she was in politics while talking to reporters at Home Economics College, Gulberg on Saturday.
“My arrival at the function of college and speech is indicative of fact that I am in politics,” she said, as quoted by a TV channel. She said she wanted to further the noble mission of her father and repair the party’s image regarding women. In the presence of Hamza Shahbaz, son of Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif, who Nawaz has declared his political scion, Maryam’s entry in politics engenders various questions about Nawaz’s political throne. The development seems a major blow to Hamza Shahbaz, earlier considered the new kid on the bloc and being compared to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Experts believe that Hamza, who proved his mettle as a true political heir of Nawaz Sharif during his exile, the 2008 election and during the governor’s rule, deserved to be retained as Nawaz’s political successor.
Sources said Maryam’s jump into the political arena implied deep family fissures breeding over the last several years. “Sons of Sharifs did not like one another and same is the case with their daughters, though Nawaz and Shahbaz tried to bridge the gaps,” the sources added. Hazma’s alleged connection with Ayesha Malik also added fuel to fire and pushed Maryam Nawaz to replace him as the political successor, a PML-N senior leader said. “It is also likelihood that after Mayam, one of the sons of Nawaz Sharif — Hassan or Hussain — could announce joining politics,” he added. He said the PML-N big guns hailing from Punjab, who disdained Hamza for his burgeoning power in the province and whopping role in the CM secretariat, also played a vital role in convincing Nawaz to bring a political successor from among his own family members. The issue of joining politics surfaced after Maryam Nawaz, wife of Capt (r) Safdar, turned down all allegations regarding her assets in London in a TV show. It happened for the first time that a female member of the Sharif family appeared on TV and pleaded not guilty. PML-N Senator Pervaiz Rashid neither denied nor admitted Maryam’s entry into politics. “I need to ask the quarters concerned and will get to you after a day,” he added. Maryam Nawaz could not be contacted for comment.
“My arrival at the function of college and speech is indicative of fact that I am in politics,” she said, as quoted by a TV channel. She said she wanted to further the noble mission of her father and repair the party’s image regarding women. In the presence of Hamza Shahbaz, son of Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif, who Nawaz has declared his political scion, Maryam’s entry in politics engenders various questions about Nawaz’s political throne. The development seems a major blow to Hamza Shahbaz, earlier considered the new kid on the bloc and being compared to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Experts believe that Hamza, who proved his mettle as a true political heir of Nawaz Sharif during his exile, the 2008 election and during the governor’s rule, deserved to be retained as Nawaz’s political successor.
Sources said Maryam’s jump into the political arena implied deep family fissures breeding over the last several years. “Sons of Sharifs did not like one another and same is the case with their daughters, though Nawaz and Shahbaz tried to bridge the gaps,” the sources added. Hazma’s alleged connection with Ayesha Malik also added fuel to fire and pushed Maryam Nawaz to replace him as the political successor, a PML-N senior leader said. “It is also likelihood that after Mayam, one of the sons of Nawaz Sharif — Hassan or Hussain — could announce joining politics,” he added. He said the PML-N big guns hailing from Punjab, who disdained Hamza for his burgeoning power in the province and whopping role in the CM secretariat, also played a vital role in convincing Nawaz to bring a political successor from among his own family members. The issue of joining politics surfaced after Maryam Nawaz, wife of Capt (r) Safdar, turned down all allegations regarding her assets in London in a TV show. It happened for the first time that a female member of the Sharif family appeared on TV and pleaded not guilty. PML-N Senator Pervaiz Rashid neither denied nor admitted Maryam’s entry into politics. “I need to ask the quarters concerned and will get to you after a day,” he added. Maryam Nawaz could not be contacted for comment.
It was an emotional moment for Dr Khalil Chishty’s family when they addressed the media in Ajmer, to appeal for his release. Sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case in January this year, the octogenarian was barred from leaving India during the trial, which dragged on for more than 19 years.
Mehrunissa Chishty, the doctor’s wife, wept as she appealed to the Indian president and the Rajasthan governor to sign the mercy petition and let her husband leave for Pakistan. Mehrunissa has almost lost hearing in both her ears from trauma.
Her daughter, Shoa Jawaid said their father had travelled all over the world and finally chose to settle in Karachi after retirement, when he was embroiled in a murder case in India.
Jawaid appealed to the media, which she said had raised the issue so vociferously in India, to once again advocate for her father’s release so that he could be with his family.
Mehrunissa, Jawaid and the doctor’s grandson, Syed Ali Chishty, are on a month-long visit from Karachi. Another daughter, Tasneema, who is married to an Indian and lives in the UAE, was also present with her two children.
A famous virologist, Dr Chishty has developed several ailments and could not even walk to present himself before the court when he was sentenced.
A Supreme Court judge, Justice Markandey Katju petitioned the prime minister of India on Dr Chishty’s behalf. The appeal for clemency was routed through the Indian home ministry to Governor Rajasthan Shivraj Patil, which is where it rests at present.
Reminiscing about his grandfather, 25-year-old Ali said his grandfather taught him how to read and write.
Now, that he has become a chartered accountant, it breaks his heart to see that his first teacher is not there to see him, Ali said.
Meeting foreign prisoners in jail is an arduous process for foreigners but the family said they received clearance to visit Dr Chishty in jail.
Kavita Srivastava and Anant Bhatagar of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Rajasthan, which has been working to secure Dr Chishty’s freedom, asked the government to expedite the process so that he can go home with his family.
Mehrunissa Chishty, the doctor’s wife, wept as she appealed to the Indian president and the Rajasthan governor to sign the mercy petition and let her husband leave for Pakistan. Mehrunissa has almost lost hearing in both her ears from trauma.
Her daughter, Shoa Jawaid said their father had travelled all over the world and finally chose to settle in Karachi after retirement, when he was embroiled in a murder case in India.
Jawaid appealed to the media, which she said had raised the issue so vociferously in India, to once again advocate for her father’s release so that he could be with his family.
Mehrunissa, Jawaid and the doctor’s grandson, Syed Ali Chishty, are on a month-long visit from Karachi. Another daughter, Tasneema, who is married to an Indian and lives in the UAE, was also present with her two children.
A famous virologist, Dr Chishty has developed several ailments and could not even walk to present himself before the court when he was sentenced.
A Supreme Court judge, Justice Markandey Katju petitioned the prime minister of India on Dr Chishty’s behalf. The appeal for clemency was routed through the Indian home ministry to Governor Rajasthan Shivraj Patil, which is where it rests at present.
Reminiscing about his grandfather, 25-year-old Ali said his grandfather taught him how to read and write.
Now, that he has become a chartered accountant, it breaks his heart to see that his first teacher is not there to see him, Ali said.
Meeting foreign prisoners in jail is an arduous process for foreigners but the family said they received clearance to visit Dr Chishty in jail.
Kavita Srivastava and Anant Bhatagar of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Rajasthan, which has been working to secure Dr Chishty’s freedom, asked the government to expedite the process so that he can go home with his family.
After being off the grid for two days, prominent social worker Abdul Sattar Edhi was located by the Pakistan Coast Guards – in Balochistan.
Edhi had set out to alleviate the suffering of the residents of the Granth village in Balochistan, who were battling a malaria epidemic. The village is inhabited by around 2,000 people and is located about 75km away from the Nani temple, near the Hingol river. About eight people and 150 camels have so far died from the condition and this prompted Edhi to put together a team of 11 doctors and leave for the village on November 15. They took antibiotic medicines, goods for children and Rs0.7 million in cash and with them.
Edhi’s son, Faisal, told The Express News 24/7 that he lost touch with his father the day that the team departed. Edhi’s family heard no news from him for two days and this worried them. They sought the help of the Pakistan Coast Guards. “He had not taken his daily medicine for diabetes and we were concerned about his health,” said Faisal.
The head of Battalion 1, Major Kazim Zafar, told The Express news 24/7 that the search operation was started on November 18. After a seven-hour search, the 15-member rescue team found Edhi, who was unhurt. He was making his way back from the village. Major Zafar said that no signals could reach the location because the terrain is dry and surrounded by mountains. He added that the village is so primitive and remote that it is difficult to find on the map.
Edhi and his team used camels and motorcycles to traverse the mountainous region. Major Zafar said that Edhi has previously travelled to the same place and had maintained contact with the Pakistan Coast Guard headquarters in Agor, Othal. However, he refused to take any security with him.
The spokesperson of the Edhi Foundation, Anwar Kazmi, dismissed the idea that Edhi had actually been kidnapped and said that it was not a serious incident. He said that Edhi’s family and the workers of the Edhi foundation were only worried because of his age and health concerns.
British Home Secretary Theresa May would come to Pakistan on a two-day official visit from November 24.
According to Foreign Office sources, the British home secretary would stay in Islamabad for two days from November 24 to 26.
She will meet the country’s leadership, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Interior Minister Rehman Malik.
The British official would discuss various issues, including the security situation of the country, the war on terrorism and progress of investigation into the killing of MQM leader Imran Farooq in London and former Sindh home minister Zulfiqar Mirza’s evidences against MQM chief Altaf Hussain given to the Scotland Yard.
The British home secretary will meet her counterpart Rehman Malik to discuss the issue of illegal immigrants and would give proposal for deportation of these people.
According to Foreign Office sources, the British home secretary would stay in Islamabad for two days from November 24 to 26.
She will meet the country’s leadership, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Interior Minister Rehman Malik.
The British official would discuss various issues, including the security situation of the country, the war on terrorism and progress of investigation into the killing of MQM leader Imran Farooq in London and former Sindh home minister Zulfiqar Mirza’s evidences against MQM chief Altaf Hussain given to the Scotland Yard.
The British home secretary will meet her counterpart Rehman Malik to discuss the issue of illegal immigrants and would give proposal for deportation of these people.
FAISALABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-N President Nawaz Sharif Sunday accusing President Asif Ali Zardari of selling out country's sovereignty, said the present regime wanted to put Pakistan's army under the US control.
In his address to a public meeting at Dhobi Ghat where PML-N supporters turned up in a huge number, Nawaz Sharif said: "The letter written and sent to Mike Mullen with the help of Pakistan Ambassador in US Hussain Haqqani, sought to put Pakistan army under the US control".
He reiterated the call for launching an investigation into the memogate scandal within a couple of days.
The PML-N President warned that the inquiry be completed within 9 days or else his party would approach the Supreme Court.
"We won't be part such assemblies where the government refuses to listen to our concerns," Nawaz Sharif said.
He asked as to what kind of government it was whose knees trembled when the US executed an armed operation in Abbottabad.
Expressing shock on the President and Prime Minister's response, he said President Zardari in an article appeared in a US newspaper was all praise for the attack while the PM called it a 'great victory'.
Talking about his rule in late 90's, Nawaz Sharif said he responded to India's five nuclear blasts with six in Pakistan. "The green passport earned a great honor that day."
Nawaz said just one phone call from the US sucked all air from President Pervez Musharraf whereas he had been contacted five times by the then US president but he stood firm to his ground.
He said it was his firm stance that made Pakistan a nuclear state.
"Can anyone muster that much courage today?" he challenged.
Nawaz Sharif also criticized Tehreek-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan, saying the latter wanted the Kashmir issue to be put on a back burner. "We cannot put Kashmir on a back burner, because this issue is linked to Pakistan's sovereignty," he asserted.
He regretted that the country was facing unprecedented corruption today, saying he had have never seen so much corruption in his entire life.
Nawaz Sharif claimed that the country was on a path of progress during his previous rule but the journey was not allowed to be completed.
In his address to a public meeting at Dhobi Ghat where PML-N supporters turned up in a huge number, Nawaz Sharif said: "The letter written and sent to Mike Mullen with the help of Pakistan Ambassador in US Hussain Haqqani, sought to put Pakistan army under the US control".
He reiterated the call for launching an investigation into the memogate scandal within a couple of days.
The PML-N President warned that the inquiry be completed within 9 days or else his party would approach the Supreme Court.
"We won't be part such assemblies where the government refuses to listen to our concerns," Nawaz Sharif said.
He asked as to what kind of government it was whose knees trembled when the US executed an armed operation in Abbottabad.
Expressing shock on the President and Prime Minister's response, he said President Zardari in an article appeared in a US newspaper was all praise for the attack while the PM called it a 'great victory'.
Talking about his rule in late 90's, Nawaz Sharif said he responded to India's five nuclear blasts with six in Pakistan. "The green passport earned a great honor that day."
Nawaz said just one phone call from the US sucked all air from President Pervez Musharraf whereas he had been contacted five times by the then US president but he stood firm to his ground.
He said it was his firm stance that made Pakistan a nuclear state.
"Can anyone muster that much courage today?" he challenged.
Nawaz Sharif also criticized Tehreek-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan, saying the latter wanted the Kashmir issue to be put on a back burner. "We cannot put Kashmir on a back burner, because this issue is linked to Pakistan's sovereignty," he asserted.
He regretted that the country was facing unprecedented corruption today, saying he had have never seen so much corruption in his entire life.
Nawaz Sharif claimed that the country was on a path of progress during his previous rule but the journey was not allowed to be completed.
Pakistan women cricket team on Sunday defeated Japan by 246 runs to qualify for semi-final in ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier. Earlier, Pakistan won the toss against Japan in the match and set a massive target of 273. Replying to a massive total Inexperienced Japanese team were only mannaged to score 26 runs in 28 overs. Pakistan’s Sadia Yousuf took six wicket for conceding just two runs. Pakistan is placed in Group ‘B’ with hosts Bangladesh, West Indies, Ireland and Japan.
The identity of the mystery government official whom American businessman Mansoor Ijaz claimed to have met in a European city and shared his trough of forensic communication data with, has remained a key missing link in the memo-authenticity-chain.
Mansoor had also said that the gentleman was not a parliamentarian or a political personality. And he was right.
According to highly classified information obtained by The News, the mystery caller was none other than the Director General ISI, Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha.
It was revealed that owing to the sensitivity of the charges levelled by Mansoor, including the alleged authorisation of the controversial memo by President Zardari, it was decided at the highest level of the military leadership that the initial investigation must be carried out by the top spymaster himself.
When asked by The News to confirm whether the official who met him on Oct 22 was the ISI chief Lt General Ahmed Shuja Pasha himself, Mansoor Ijaz simply said: ‘Yes.’
Ijaz has been saying in several statements in the last few days that the full data and evidence was given to the official including records of phone calls, SMS messages, BBM chat exchanges, emails etc.
According to details, the meeting took place on the eve of October 22, in a Park Lane Intercontinental hotel room in London.
The meeting is said to have started around 6:30pm and lasted for over four hours.
The News has learnt that during the meeting, Mansoor Ijaz was exhaustively grilled over his claims and that Mansoor handed a fairly large quantity of records, both copies and originals.
The records were subsequently put through a verification process and once the DG ISI was convinced about their authenticity, he then briefed the army chief who ultimately discussed the matter in his one-on-one meeting with President Zardari on November 15.
The COAS, according to a highly informed insider, had impressed upon the president the inevitable necessity of Ambassador Haqqani’s presence in the country to explain his alleged role in the memo controversy.
After the Zardari-Kayani meeting, the Presidency announced the summoning of Ambassador Haqqani to explain his position to the “national leadership”, and not just the political leadership.
According to sources, the president had been fairly confident about stubbing out the matter for good in his one-on-one huddle but the outcome was not entirely to his satisfaction.
Not surprisingly, in the later half of the same day, the trouble-shooter prime minister called up COAS Kayani and set up a meeting of the troika for the very next day (Nov 16).
The PM, known for not harbouring any exceptional love for the beleaguered envoy, also thundered on the floor of the house that “Ambassador or no ambassador, he will have to come and explain his position.”
Husain Haqqani was not available for his version on this report as he was on a flight from Washington to Islamabad.
All this happened in a dizzyingly fast changing political environment, where only hours earlier the Presidency had contemptuously dismissed the claims of Mansoor Ijaz while shrugging him off as a man of dubious credentials.
What had really caused this paradigm change in the earlier recalcitrant official attitude is another revelation, made to The News.
The media may have been huffing and puffing with half truths and whole lies, dealing with an all-claiming Mansoor on one side and an all-denying combine of Haqqani- the Presidency-FO-everyone official on the other, and opposition politicians too may have been adding their voices to the slowly growing cacophony of those demanding an investigation into the matter, but these factors did not play the decisive role.
It now transpires that the ‘swift’ transformation of the official mood may have been caused by an official communication, quietly sent to the president over the weekend preceding the one-on-one meeting between the supreme commander and his top commander.
In this communication, the president had reportedly been specifically requested to order an enquiry into the memo issue.
The significance of this communication was not lost on the political leadership. Stonewalling was no longer a tenable option.
According to highly informed insiders, it has now been decided amongst the troika that Ambassador Haqqani (who will have landed in Islamabad by the time these lines appear in print) will present his version of the ‘truth’ in an all-important meeting restricted to the president, prime minister, COAS and the DG ISI.
The ambassador will be required also to respond to a set of questions already prepared in this regard, including why he has not even given an indication of suing Mansoor Ijaz for defamation and slander.
Interestingly, to date the Pakistan government too has not even shot off a letter of complaint to the Financial Times, let alone agitate legally, for publishing what it has itself been describing as objectionable material.
On the enquiry front, it is evident from the string of Mr Haqqani’s recent public statements that he will undoubtedly trash all Mansoor Ijaz’s claims and the civilian leadership is hoping that his ‘convincing performance’ would carry the day and that would be the end of the matter.
Any possibility of curtains being drawn after a maiden performance by the astute diplomat, however, appears a desperate pipe dream, as those demanding an enquiry are clear that the focus shall remain on substance and not the form. The situation is hardly being helped with new revelations adding new twists by the day.
The latest being the admission by US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta that he too was in the know of the memo. In one of the messages exchanged between Mansoor Ijaz and Husain Haqqani, Leon Panetta was also mentioned.
On Oct 28, 2011 Mansoor Ijaz wrote: Tell me one important thing. Who likes you and who hates you in the US establishment? Who wants you to stay and who wants to — you up?
Husain Haqqani responded: The debate abt your oped has caused my detractors to put pressure on my boss
He then sent this message: Husain Haqqani: In US estab, I can count on Leon and Petraeus
According to informed insiders, the decision has been made to ignore the obvious and to take the matter to its legitimate logical conclusion and in the expected event of Ambassador Haqqani flatly rejecting all charges, the civilian leadership will be asked to request Mansoor Ijaz to appear before the relevant forum (which could be the same as in this meeting) and prove his claims.
Apprehending a diluting of the issue by subjecting it to a deliberately slow and protracted investigation process, it has also been decided that Islamabad shall be ‘requested to agree’ to a firm cut-off date which must be limited to days, and not extended to weeks.
It has also been decided, The News was told by a reliable source, that if need be then the government of Pakistan will be asked to officially contact the Blackberry company to obtain certified data (Pin codes) and to “spare no influence, including cessation of Blackberry services in Pakistan, were the company to act reluctant in complying with the request”.
The source went on to state: “If so needed, the option of initiating a judicial enquiry and issuing a subpoena to the company would also be exercised”. According to details trickling out of Rawalpindi, the leadership there appears determined on two things: a) the memo issue carries risks of national proportions and therefore must be thoroughly investigated and taken to its logical conclusion and b) no politics would be played or allowed to be played in deciding the matter.
On the Islamabad political front, however, things may be progressing on a different tangent. It was learnt that initially President Zardari had favoured the option of relieving Ambassador Haqqani of his responsibilities in a bid to seek a swift resolution to this brewing major political crisis, but now he has been advised against this course of action by an ace legal advisor.
According to sources, the president was warned that an immediate firing of Ambassador Haqqani could be misperceived as the desperate attempt of a “guilty president severing a critical link” and he has been warned that such a move could also begin a domino effect that could reach his office.
In political terms too, the thinking on the hill is now favouring a strong defiant stance, not out of any love for Mr Haqqani, but for the sole purpose that were the Presidency to appear to have “saved its man once again from the all powerful military establishment”, as put by the source, “then it would garner immense indirect political benefit by appearing impregnable and immensely powerful and once again fence-huggers and even others will gravitate towards it.”
Playing politics, in what is an open and shut case of one party lying and the other telling the truth and simply making the guilty pay, is fraught with fatal risks.
Were politics to be played, yet again, it remains to be seen whether the non-civilian establishment will meekly suffer public humiliation and internal institutional discontent by backing down in a matter involving national security, sovereignty and the safety of country’s nuclear assets.
Mansoor had also said that the gentleman was not a parliamentarian or a political personality. And he was right.
According to highly classified information obtained by The News, the mystery caller was none other than the Director General ISI, Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha.
It was revealed that owing to the sensitivity of the charges levelled by Mansoor, including the alleged authorisation of the controversial memo by President Zardari, it was decided at the highest level of the military leadership that the initial investigation must be carried out by the top spymaster himself.
When asked by The News to confirm whether the official who met him on Oct 22 was the ISI chief Lt General Ahmed Shuja Pasha himself, Mansoor Ijaz simply said: ‘Yes.’
Ijaz has been saying in several statements in the last few days that the full data and evidence was given to the official including records of phone calls, SMS messages, BBM chat exchanges, emails etc.
According to details, the meeting took place on the eve of October 22, in a Park Lane Intercontinental hotel room in London.
The meeting is said to have started around 6:30pm and lasted for over four hours.
The News has learnt that during the meeting, Mansoor Ijaz was exhaustively grilled over his claims and that Mansoor handed a fairly large quantity of records, both copies and originals.
The records were subsequently put through a verification process and once the DG ISI was convinced about their authenticity, he then briefed the army chief who ultimately discussed the matter in his one-on-one meeting with President Zardari on November 15.
The COAS, according to a highly informed insider, had impressed upon the president the inevitable necessity of Ambassador Haqqani’s presence in the country to explain his alleged role in the memo controversy.
After the Zardari-Kayani meeting, the Presidency announced the summoning of Ambassador Haqqani to explain his position to the “national leadership”, and not just the political leadership.
According to sources, the president had been fairly confident about stubbing out the matter for good in his one-on-one huddle but the outcome was not entirely to his satisfaction.
Not surprisingly, in the later half of the same day, the trouble-shooter prime minister called up COAS Kayani and set up a meeting of the troika for the very next day (Nov 16).
The PM, known for not harbouring any exceptional love for the beleaguered envoy, also thundered on the floor of the house that “Ambassador or no ambassador, he will have to come and explain his position.”
Husain Haqqani was not available for his version on this report as he was on a flight from Washington to Islamabad.
All this happened in a dizzyingly fast changing political environment, where only hours earlier the Presidency had contemptuously dismissed the claims of Mansoor Ijaz while shrugging him off as a man of dubious credentials.
What had really caused this paradigm change in the earlier recalcitrant official attitude is another revelation, made to The News.
The media may have been huffing and puffing with half truths and whole lies, dealing with an all-claiming Mansoor on one side and an all-denying combine of Haqqani- the Presidency-FO-everyone official on the other, and opposition politicians too may have been adding their voices to the slowly growing cacophony of those demanding an investigation into the matter, but these factors did not play the decisive role.
It now transpires that the ‘swift’ transformation of the official mood may have been caused by an official communication, quietly sent to the president over the weekend preceding the one-on-one meeting between the supreme commander and his top commander.
In this communication, the president had reportedly been specifically requested to order an enquiry into the memo issue.
The significance of this communication was not lost on the political leadership. Stonewalling was no longer a tenable option.
According to highly informed insiders, it has now been decided amongst the troika that Ambassador Haqqani (who will have landed in Islamabad by the time these lines appear in print) will present his version of the ‘truth’ in an all-important meeting restricted to the president, prime minister, COAS and the DG ISI.
The ambassador will be required also to respond to a set of questions already prepared in this regard, including why he has not even given an indication of suing Mansoor Ijaz for defamation and slander.
Interestingly, to date the Pakistan government too has not even shot off a letter of complaint to the Financial Times, let alone agitate legally, for publishing what it has itself been describing as objectionable material.
On the enquiry front, it is evident from the string of Mr Haqqani’s recent public statements that he will undoubtedly trash all Mansoor Ijaz’s claims and the civilian leadership is hoping that his ‘convincing performance’ would carry the day and that would be the end of the matter.
Any possibility of curtains being drawn after a maiden performance by the astute diplomat, however, appears a desperate pipe dream, as those demanding an enquiry are clear that the focus shall remain on substance and not the form. The situation is hardly being helped with new revelations adding new twists by the day.
The latest being the admission by US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta that he too was in the know of the memo. In one of the messages exchanged between Mansoor Ijaz and Husain Haqqani, Leon Panetta was also mentioned.
On Oct 28, 2011 Mansoor Ijaz wrote: Tell me one important thing. Who likes you and who hates you in the US establishment? Who wants you to stay and who wants to — you up?
Husain Haqqani responded: The debate abt your oped has caused my detractors to put pressure on my boss
He then sent this message: Husain Haqqani: In US estab, I can count on Leon and Petraeus
According to informed insiders, the decision has been made to ignore the obvious and to take the matter to its legitimate logical conclusion and in the expected event of Ambassador Haqqani flatly rejecting all charges, the civilian leadership will be asked to request Mansoor Ijaz to appear before the relevant forum (which could be the same as in this meeting) and prove his claims.
Apprehending a diluting of the issue by subjecting it to a deliberately slow and protracted investigation process, it has also been decided that Islamabad shall be ‘requested to agree’ to a firm cut-off date which must be limited to days, and not extended to weeks.
It has also been decided, The News was told by a reliable source, that if need be then the government of Pakistan will be asked to officially contact the Blackberry company to obtain certified data (Pin codes) and to “spare no influence, including cessation of Blackberry services in Pakistan, were the company to act reluctant in complying with the request”.
The source went on to state: “If so needed, the option of initiating a judicial enquiry and issuing a subpoena to the company would also be exercised”. According to details trickling out of Rawalpindi, the leadership there appears determined on two things: a) the memo issue carries risks of national proportions and therefore must be thoroughly investigated and taken to its logical conclusion and b) no politics would be played or allowed to be played in deciding the matter.
On the Islamabad political front, however, things may be progressing on a different tangent. It was learnt that initially President Zardari had favoured the option of relieving Ambassador Haqqani of his responsibilities in a bid to seek a swift resolution to this brewing major political crisis, but now he has been advised against this course of action by an ace legal advisor.
According to sources, the president was warned that an immediate firing of Ambassador Haqqani could be misperceived as the desperate attempt of a “guilty president severing a critical link” and he has been warned that such a move could also begin a domino effect that could reach his office.
In political terms too, the thinking on the hill is now favouring a strong defiant stance, not out of any love for Mr Haqqani, but for the sole purpose that were the Presidency to appear to have “saved its man once again from the all powerful military establishment”, as put by the source, “then it would garner immense indirect political benefit by appearing impregnable and immensely powerful and once again fence-huggers and even others will gravitate towards it.”
Playing politics, in what is an open and shut case of one party lying and the other telling the truth and simply making the guilty pay, is fraught with fatal risks.
Were politics to be played, yet again, it remains to be seen whether the non-civilian establishment will meekly suffer public humiliation and internal institutional discontent by backing down in a matter involving national security, sovereignty and the safety of country’s nuclear assets.
Amid raging political storm in the country over secret memogate, Defence minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar Sunday said the prime minister would be responsible if Pakistani ambassador to US Hussain Haqqani found involve in memo scandal.
Talking to media here in Lahore, Mukhtar said that Hussain Haqqani was part of the prime minister team and if the envoy found guilty, the PM house would directly responsible for the conspiracy.He said that investigations were underway to find the fact and action would be taken after investigations added that if Haqqani involved in the conspiracy, the prime minister would decide his future.
Mukhtar said Mansoor Ijaz was a conspirator and he had been involved many conspiracies against Pakistan. Defence minister suggested that there was no chance of military coup in the country.
On query over Nawaz Sharif allegation on secret agencies for backing particular political party, Mukhtar said ISI and other agencies have nothing to do with the political activities. “Blaming agencies for political meddling are not correct news”, he said. He said it’s their right if Nawaz Sharif wants to take secret memo matter to the apex court.
Mukhtar said public meetings could not collapse the government adding that Nawaz Sharif can try.
At least ten militants were killed and four injured during operation in Orakzai Agency.
According to media reports, the security forces shelled hideouts of militants in Mamozai, Addu Khail and Mir Khail areas of Orakzai agency, killing ten militants and injuring four. Meanwhile, some unknown bike riders gunned down two people in Bara Khail on Saturday.
According to media reports, the security forces shelled hideouts of militants in Mamozai, Addu Khail and Mir Khail areas of Orakzai agency, killing ten militants and injuring four. Meanwhile, some unknown bike riders gunned down two people in Bara Khail on Saturday.