Why it took Kayani 'so long' to report to Prime Minister: government raises question in Memogate

The government submitted on Monday its rejoinder to the Supreme Court (SC) in response to the affidavits filed by Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, ISI chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha and Mansoor Ijaz in Memogate scandal.
Attorney General for Pakistan Maulvi Anwarul Haq filed an 18-page rejoinder on behalf of the Interior Ministry which termed the controversial memo worthless, arguing that it was just a piece of paper which had nothing to do with national security.
"Pakistan is a lucky country to have the eighth largest army of the world which comprises of brave men and women - no one can weaken the morale of Pakistan armed forces and certainly not the alleged memo which is not worth even the paper on which it was printed while being downloaded," the rejoinder has contended.
It further added that that Prime Minister and President had denied any links with the content of the alleged memo whereas former Pakistan Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani tendered his resignation.
The rejoinder further noted that the Parliamentary Committee on National Security had been probing the matter on the directions of the premier. The committee has representation of all the political parties, according to it.
The rejoinder added that Haqqani had expressed in a Dec 16 letter to the President that he wanted to resign from the post in the national interest.
While responding to para 4 of the affidavit submitted by the COAS, the federal government contended that DG ISI Lieutenant-General Pasha briefed the Chief of Army Staff on the issue on October 24. However, the rejoinder added that the COAS had not mentioned the reason in his affidavit as to why it took Kayani so long to report to the Prime Minister in a case where time was of high crucial. It asked why the matter was not brought to the PM's notice immediately, but on November 13. The government though commended Pakistan Army's sacrifices for the nation, it added that the nation had also made great sacrifices for the country's security as Benazir Bhutto laid down her life for the sake of nation.
"It is the resolve of people of Pakistan to defend the supremacy of the peoples' rule through their chosen representatives in the Parliament along with their political independence," the rejoinder declared.
The federal government filed its long-awaited rejoinder in Memogate scandal to SC in pursuance of the apex court orders of Dec 19, 2011.