Haqqani seeks SC permission to leave Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani Saturday filed an application in the Supreme Court, seeking the apex court’s permission to leave the country for settling his family and job affairs.

Haqqani’s counsel Asma Jahangir filed the application under Order XXXIII Rule VI of the Supreme Court Rules 1980 for the suppression of provisions that barred Haqqani to leave Pakistan sans the approval of the apex court.

A larger bench of the apex court headed by the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will resume hearing of the Memogate scandal case on Jan 30 (tomorrow). On Dec 30, it declared identical petitions on the issue maintainable.

The bench has also formed a Judicial Commission of three High Court Chief Justices and a District and Session Judge Islamabad as Secretary with a mandate to ascertain the origins, authenticity and purpose of the infamous memo in a month.

Ms Jahangir stated that Haqqani was living in an atmosphere of fear and has confined himself voluntarily in a safe place and has not even been able to return to his previous residence in the USA to remove his personal belongings.

Similarly, Haqqani was not able to organise his livelihood without job, she said and added that the restraint placed on him was a denial of the opportunity to look for a source of income, move around with freedom, as he was forced to live in separation from his family.

“In addition, Haqqani has other household matters to attend to and he has been restrained by this honourable Court since Dec 1,2011,” Asma maintained.

According to her, Haqqani has family responsibilities as his children are studying in the US who are deeply distressed at the events unfolded few months ago. She said that Haqqani had deposed before the Commission and had engaged legal representation to assist the Commission on his behalf.

She maintained that no evidence was recorded by the Commission except Haqqani’s and that “he will continue to do so for which he undertakes to return anytime within 4 days’ notice whenever required by the Commission.”

She further submitted that in view of the non-appearance of respondent Mansoor Ijaz in the Memogate controversy, “Haqqani cannot stay detained indefinitely, waiting for other respondents to depose before the Commission.”

She finally prayed that conditions placed on Haqqani for not leaving Pakistan “may kindly be waived and he be allowed to join his family.”

Meanwhile, Akram Sheikh, counsel for Mansoor Ijaz, also filed an application in the Supreme Court on Saturday, with a plea to record Mansoor Ijaz’s testimony, including forensic evidence, abroad. Sheikh prayed for the apex court’s directions to the Commission to record the statement of Ijaz in London due to security reasons in Pakistan.

Secretary of the Commission on Jan 25 urged the Registrar of the SC for an extension in the time for finalising the Commission’s proceedings.