Memo Commission seeks gadgets record of Haqqani, Ijaz

ISLAMABAD: A Supreme Court mandated commission on memo issue on Monday directed Hussain Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz to produce gadgets records over exchanging information by January 9.

The commission headed by Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court Qazi Faez Issa and includes Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Iqbal Hameed and Sindh High Court Chief Justice Musheer Alam conducted the proceedings of memo issue in the premises of IHC.

Attorney General for Pakistan Maulvi Anwarul Haq apprised the commission about memo issue and said notices have been issued to all respondents but due to weekly holidays it could not reach to Mansoor Ijaz and General James Jones and added that he has no confirmation whether it was received or not.

He said "I was informed by Secretary Interior that he has served notice to Hussain Haqqani for appearing before the commission".

Regarding Mansoor Ijaz, commission Chairman Faez Issa directed the AG to send notice to him on all addresses even on his email.

During course of hearing, Qazi Issa remarked that every body would be given full opportunity for cross examination and it should be more transparent.

The commission also summoned Hussain Haqqani to appear at the next date of hearing and directed the government to provide him requisite security, besides an opportunity to engage the counsel.

The commission also directed the government to provide security to Mansoor Ijaz when he comes to Pakistan to produce evidence.

The commission also sent notices to former US National Security Advisor James Jones, Director-General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Ahmed Shuja Pasha and others included in the probe.

Neither Pakistan's former ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, nor the ISI chief appeared before the commission.

The commission also asked Secretary Foreign Affairs that whether any departmental action was taken against Hussain Haqqani, on which, he replied that no action was taken against him.

On the question of number of Haqqani's meetings with Mansoor Ijaz, the Foreign Secretary replied that ministry has no record about the memo and Haqqani's appointment was also not departmental.

Chief Jutice Iqbal Hameed ur-Rehman questioned about the record of Ambassador's day to day meetings with other officials or any procedure to keep check on ambassadors whether they were working according to the government policy or not.

He also directed Secretary Foreign Affairs to look into the matter and inform the commission on the next date of hearing.

The commission also directed Ministry of Information Technology, Federal Investigation Agency and ISI to provide them technical assistance in this issue.

Secretary Cabinet was also directed to expeditiously ensure compliance of all orders of commission and may also nominate a focal person in this regard.

The commission while issuing notices to all the parties adjourned the hearing of the case till January 9.

Later talking to media, Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq said that the commission would determine the methodology to be adopted to write a letter to a foreign company in order to obtain record of telephonic conversations between Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz.

Moreover, the commission's secretary Jawad Abbas, district and Sessions Judge Islamabad, informed the mediamen that an open court inquiry would be carried out into the memo affair.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011