President, COAS, ISI director general asked to submit reply
SC orders probe into memogate scandal
* Nominates former FIA DG Tariq Khosa to head the commission to probe memo case
* Bars Hussain Haqqani from travelling abroad
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court, on Thursday, nominated Tariq Khosa, a former secretary of Anti-Narcotics Force, to head a commission to probe the authenticity of the memogate issue, with instructions to submit a report within three weeks.
The court also directed the former ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, not to leave the country without the permission of the court and till the finalisation of the investigation. He was asked to cooperate with the commission. The court sought reply from President Asif Ali Zardari, Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, DG ISI Lt Gen Shuja Pasha and other respondents regarding memo controversy case within ten days.
A nine-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, was hearing petitions on the memo issue filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif, Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, PML-N presidents of all provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. The court observed that prima facie the memo contained highly objectionable material, which was against the sovereignty, security and independence of Pakistan.
The court said in its order that Article 5 binds every citizen to be faithful to country and the memo raised questions over country’s sovereignty. The court observed that the government has not contradicted the Financial Times article, which triggered this controversy, written by the Pakistani-American businessman Mansur Ijaz’s.
PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, who appeared in person in the court, said the memogate issue posed serious threat to the national security, and called for an independent body to probe the issue. He said that the government would never order an inquiry against its own ambassador, and was fully protecting Haqqani. He alleged that Haqqani, as ambassador of the country, could not have acted without approval from the concerned authorities. He demanded that all the stakeholders be issued notices. To a question by the bench, he said he had respect for parliament but was disappointed that nothing had been done over its joint resolution over Abbottabad operation.
Nawaz said parliament had passed many resolutions but the government never implemented them. He said parliament does not take notice of corruption, and nothing would come out of the memo issue being sent to it. He further said that democracy was being defamed due to the acts of the present government. The chief justice told the PML-N chief that there are two type of proceedings in the matter; one is civil, which would be taken by parliament, and the other is criminal, which could be initiated by the court for collecting the evidences.
Khawaja Asif, another petitioner, said that the executive was holding parliament hostage. He said he had approached the Supreme Court because parliament was dysfunctional. The president cannot be dissociated with this issue, he added. The court adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period. hasnaat malik/agencies
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
President, COAS, ISI director general asked to submit reply
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