By AFPPublished: November 19, 2011Rehman Malik says Hussain Haqqani did not write a letter seeking US help against the country's powerful military. PHOTO: PID/ FILEISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington, Hussain Haqqani, did not write a letter seeking US help against the country’s powerful military, Pakistan’s interior minister said Saturday.However, he was involved in communication via text message with an American national, Rehman Malik said.
Haqqani, who has offered to resign over the situation, but has denied the reports of his involvement, has now been called to Islamabad by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari to explain himself.Haqqani, a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari, has played a key role in helping Pakistan’s civilian government navigate turbulent relations with Washington that nosedived over the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May.Local media reports implicated him in a memo allegedly sent from Zardari to Admiral Mike Mullen, then America’s top military officer, seeking to curtail Pakistan’s military after it was humiliated by the Bin Laden killing.Zardari reportedly feared that the military might seize power in one way to limit the hugely damaging fallout in Pakistan after Navy SEALs killed Bin Laden in the garrison city of Abbottabad on May 2.
The alleged memo was revealed last month by American businessman Mansoor Ijaz.Speaking in Islamabad, Malik said there was no written letter, but he added that Gilani and Zardari had decided to call ambassador Haqqani to explain the situation.“This was not a letter, neither from presidency nor from any government organisation,” Malik said.“This is communication through SMS (text messages) by two individuals. One is an American national and second is our ambassador.”He said the evidence available was “an exchange of SMS messages and Blackberry messages” and added: “Now we have to see that who initiated these.” Government officials in Islamabad said Haqqani was on his way to the capital.“And if his point of view was not satisfactory then it is clear that it is open for investigation,” Malik said.“It is not according to the justice to condemn someone without hearing him.”Haqqani has said he will cooperate with the inquiry while denying reports of the memo and calling the matter a “non issue”.
In an opinion piece in UK’s Financial Times on October 10, Ijaz wrote that a “senior Pakistani diplomat” telephoned him in May soon after Bin Laden’s death, urging him to deliver a message to the White House bypassing Pakistan’s military and intelligence chiefs.“The president feared a military takeover was imminent” and “needed an American fist on his army chief’s desk to end any misguided notions of a coup and fast,” he wrote.He said a memo was delivered to Mullen on May 10, offering that a “new national security team” would end relations between Pakistani intelligence and Afghan militants, namely the Taliban and its Haqqani faction.Pakistan’s opposition leader Nawaz Sharif on Saturday demanded anindependent commission to investigate the issue.
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Haqqani meets Grossman before boarding Pakistan bound flight
WASHINGTON: As Memogate continues in Pakistan and the United States, Pakistani Ambassador Husain Haqqani met with the US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Marc Grossman hours before boarding a flight back home.
A State Department official, who did not wish to be named, said that the case of the memo was discussed in the meeting.
The official added that Ambassador Grossman said he had never seen the memo until it was made public. He also referred back to Admiral Mullen’s comments on the memo.
In comments issued via his spokesperson in Foreign Policy, Admiral Mullen did not find the memo credible when he received it.
Earlier on Friday, the State Department spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters at the press briefing that he was not going to engage in speculation. “Our understanding is that he’s still the ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, and we continue to have regular interactions with him, as we do with a number of people with – both within the Pakistani Government.”
Toner added that the United States “clearly support the democratically elected Government of Pakistan, as well as its constitutional processes.”
Haqqani on a flight to Pakistan
Pakistan’s Ambassador waved good bye to America, maybe the last time as a Pakistani envoy to the US, as he boarded a flight back to his motherland.
Minutes before his flight was to take off, the ambassador tweeted:
On way to motherland.
#Pakistan
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Husain Haqqani returns to Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani arrived in Islamabad after a week of tumultuous events that may cost him his job, and even create a new precedent for the country.
Haqqani’s plane, QR 398, from Doha was due to land at Islamabad airport at a little over two am early Sunday morning.
However, an hour after his flight landed, the ambassador failed to emerge from the doors to greet the waiting media men. It is believed that the envoy opted to take another route out of the airport.
The memo along with displaying a greater willingness to allow ‘boots on the ground’ operations, had requested the help of US and its military to send a direct and strong message to the Pakistani army chief General Kayani, warning against the wisdom of a coup d’état against the ruling Zardari-led democratic government.
Haqqani has denied his role in any stage of drafting or delivering the memo. However, President Zardari summoned Haqqani to brief him over the memo. Haqqani had offered to resign to quell the current crisis, however the government maintains that Haqqani will be given a chance to explain his side of the story before making any decisions over his job.
Haqqani will meet President Zardari tomorrow in Islamabad.
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Zardari, Haqqani were not aware of OBL raid: White House
Washington: US rejected the report that Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and its former ambassador to US Hussain Haqqani had advance knowledge of the May 2, 2011 raid in Abbotabad wherein in Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
On Saturday, the Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz claimed in an article that Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari, and former Ambassador Husain Haqqani had advance knowledge of the US raid.
White House spokesperson Caitlin Hayden said that there was no truth in the reports that Ambassador Haqqani or President Zardari had advance knowledge of the May 2 Abbottabad operation.
Hayden maintained that no one in Pakistan, or any other government was intimated in advance about a raid with stealth helicopters to kill the world’s most wanted man. “As we’ve said repeatedly, given the sensitivity of the operation, to protect our operators we did not inform the Pakistani government, or any other government, in advance.”
Earlier on Saturday, The Daily Beast, Newsweek’s online partner, published an ‘analysis’ piece from Mansoor Ijaz in which the Pakistani-American businessman claimed that the memo – for which Husain Haqqani had selected him for delivering to Admiral Mike Mullen, was part of a larger plan by Zardari and Haqqani.
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Clinton speaks with Pakistan PM on NATO strikes
03 Dec 2011 22:40
WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Saturday, again offering U.S. condolences over the deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers in NATO air strikes last week, the State Department said in a statement.
The attack sparked fury in Pakistan and complicated U.S.-led efforts to ease a crisis in relations with Islamabad, still seething at a secret U.S. raid in May that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and stabilize the region before foreign combat troops leave Afghanistan in 2014.
Clinton "once again expressed condolences to the families of the soldiers and to the Pakistani people for the tragic and unintended loss of life in Mohmand last weekend," the State Department said in a brief statement.
"She reiterated America's respect for Pakistan's sovereignty and commitment to working together in pursuit of shared objectives on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect."
Clinton's phone call came two days before an international conference in Germany on the future of Afghanistan - a conference Pakistan is boycotting because of the incident. [ID:nN1E7B01P3]
The United States and NATO have promised to investigate the incident, expressing regret at the deaths of Pakistani soldiers. But the White House has said it was premature to consider an apology when an investigation was still in its early stages. (Editing by Peter Cooney)
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US believes Zardari may resign: Report
An American magazine reported on Tuesday that President Asif Ali Zardari may step down due to his poor health condition.
In its report, The Cable quoted a former US government official saying that when US President Barack Obama spoke with Zardari recently regarding Nato’s killing of the 24 Pakistani soldiers, Zardari was “incoherent.”
The report claimed that Zardari was “feeling increased pressure over the Memogate scandal”, and quoted the official as having said: “The noose was getting tighter — it was only a matter of time,” expressing the growing expectation inside the US government that Zardari may be stepping down.
The official also said that parts of the US government were told that Zardari had a “minor heart attack” on Monday night and flew to Dubai via air ambulance today. He may have angioplasty on Wednesday and may also resign on account of “ill health.”
President Zardari left for Dubai on Tuesday to visit his children and undergo some medical tests. He was accompanied by his physicians and personal staff.
According to the president’s personal physician Colonel Salman, the proposed medical tests were “routine” and are linked to a previously diagnosed cardiovascular condition.
In Islamabad, some papers have reported that before Zardari left Pakistan, the Pakistani Army insisted that Zardari be examined by their own physicians, and that the Army doctors determined that Zardari was fine and did not need to leave the country for medical reasons. Zardari’s spokesman has denied that he met with the Army doctors.
President Zardari had announced plan to address a join sitting of parliament immediately after Muharram, in the aftermath of last week’s Supreme Court decision to set up a commission to probe the memogate scandal.
The Cable report suggests that the session has been postponed indefinitely.
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Pakistan's Zardari suffers minor heart attack-source
07 Dec 2011 09:00
(Edits)
By Augustine Anthony
ISLAMABAD, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari had a minor heart attack and is undergoing treatment in a Dubai hospital, a source said on Wednesday, fueling rumours he may resign.
Zardari's office, however, said, he was in hospital for routine tests. It said a news web report, which triggered much of the speculation, was untrue.
Financial markets were unaffected by the rumours.
"President Asif Ali Zardari is in a Dubai hospital for medical tests and checkup as planned," presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar told Reuters.
"Reports in some sections of the media speculating on the president's activities and engagements are speculative, imaginary and untrue."
But a Pakistani source in Dubai familiar with the president's condition told Reuters that Zardari had suffered a minor heart attack.
"Two days ago, he had chest pain" and decided to go to Dubai, the source said.
Six years ago, Zardari had also had a minor heart attack, the source said.
"Since then, he has been on medication."
A Dubai-based member of Zardari's Pakistan People's Party, Mian Muneer Hans, said the president landed in Dubai around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
"He walked to his car in the airport and was not on any ambulance," said Hans, adding that he was accompanied by his doctor and petroleum minister Asim Hussain. Zardari was taken straight to the American Hospital in Dubai, said Hans.
"He's taking rest in the hospital now. He may be there for two to three days," he added.
The hospital's chief executive officer Thomas Murray, contacted by Reuters, declined to comment on the reports.
Hans, however, said the medical visit was "a routine check for his heart."
The rumours about his health and possible resignation swirled on Twitter and other social media.
"Some elements blew up this to create unrest in the country," said Fauzia Wahab, a senior member of Zardari's Pakistan People's Party. "His visit to Dubai and having a medical check up is perfectly normal."
UNDER PRESSURE
Pakistan's civilian government has been under extreme pressure in recent weeks following the resignation of its ambassador to Washington over an alleged memo to the Pentagon asking for help in forestalling a feared coup attempt in May.
Tension between the government and military have bedevilled the nuclear-armed South Asian country for most of its existence, with the military ruling the country for more than half of its 64-year history after a series of coups.
Relations with the United States have been rocked by a year of bust-ups despite some $20 billion in security and economic aid to Pakistan since 2001, much of it in the form of reimbursements for assistance in fighting militants.
First there was the jailing of a CIA contractor for shooting dead two Pakistanis in the city of Lahore. Then there was the secret U.S. commando raid inside Pakistan that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and then came U.S. accusations that Pakistan was involved in attacks on American targets in Afghanistan.
It was also further rocked by a Nov 26 NATO strike on two Pakistani border posts that killed 24 soldiers, infuriating the country's powerful military which also has a tense relationship with Zardari. (Additional reporting by Rebecca Conway in ISLAMABAD and Faisal Aziz in KARACHI, and Amena Bakr and Praveen Menon in DUBAI; Writing by Chris Allbritton; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
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Memogate: Meeting to draft Kayani's reply underway
ISLAMABAD: A meeting is underway between the legal branch personnel of the Pakistan Army and Supreme Court’s Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq, Express News reported on Thursday.
The meeting aims to finalise the draft of Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani’s reply to the court in the memogate case.
During the last hearing, the court had sought written replies from President Asif Ali Zardari, Kayani, Inter-Services Intelligence Director General Lt Shuja Pasha, former Ambassador to US Husain Haqqani, Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, and the foreign secretary.
The memogate scandal began when Admiral Mike Mullen confirmed the existence of a controversial memo, allegedly sent by President Zardari via a trusted source. Former ambassador to the US Haqqani resigned after being involved in the controversy.
The court had given a two-week deadline for filing the replies, which lapses today.
Mansoor Ijaz submits reply to SC
Pakistani-American businessman Ijaz submitted his reply to the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the memogate scandal earlier on Thursday.
Ijaz, who is one of the respondents in the case, reportedly sent his reply via e-mail to the apex court.
(Read: Memogate: Ambassador Haqqani will give explanation, says Gilani)
In an 81-page e-mail, he sent details related to his interaction with Haqqani — including Blackberry Messenger conversations, SMS and e-mails exchanged between Ijaz and Haqqani, telephone records that include received calls from Haqqani and calls that Ijaz had made.
He also enclosed a letter addressing Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry that stated that he was ready to present himself to the court regardless of security concerns.
(Read: Memogate probe: Mansoor Ijaz ready to appear before SC)
The details Ijaz had given include information that had already been revealed by news agencies and some which were not made public earlier.
In the e-mail, Ijaz had written about his meeting with Haqqani in a London hotel, in which the former ambassador had informed Ijaz that the May 2 Abbottabad raid that killed Osama bin Laden had severed ties between Army, intelligence agencies and the civilian government.
(Read: Memogate: More firefights loom for cornered govt)
Haqqani had also requested Ijaz to help him in this regard. However, in the e-mail Ijaz had stated that he had asked Haqqani how he could help in the matter.
The Pakistani-American businessmen also said that he had forwarded the related data to Pasha on October 22, 2011.
On the last hearing, the court had sought written replies from President Asif Ali Zardari, Kayani, Pasha, Haqqani, Ijaz, and the foreign secretary.
The memogate scandal began when Admiral Mike Mullen confirmed the existence of a controversial memo, allegedly sent by President Zardari via a trusted source. Former ambassador to the US Haqqani resigned after being involved in the controversy.
However, apprehensions loom over the president’s reply, before the case resumes on December 19, since President Zardari is currently in Dubai undergoing medical treatment.
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Military coup charges: ISI chief should resign, face inquiry, says Gohar
By Zia Khan
Published: December 16, 2011
“If Husain Haqqani [Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US] could resign based on mere allegations, why shouldn’t General Pasha?” Awami National Party (ANP) MNA Bushra Gohar questioned.
ISLAMABAD:
Mum’s the word as far as the government and the military’s media wing are concerned regarding Mansoor Ijaz’s latest allegations.
The mood in the National Assembly session on Thursday, however, was anything but when a female parliamentarian demanded that Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt General Ahmed Shuja Pasha should resign and face an inquiry based on the allegations that he had met some Arab leaders early this year to discuss a military coup in Pakistan.
Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, the whistleblower behind the Memogate affair, claimed that Pasha had visited Arab countries for discussions on a possible coup, according to media reports.
“If Husain Haqqani [Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US] could resign based on mere allegations, why shouldn’t Pasha?” Awami National Party (ANP) MNA Bushra Gohar questioned.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan initially defended Pasha, terming Ijaz’s claims “baseless”. However, when Gohar pointed out that if the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was so quick to believe Ijaz when the memo issue was brought to light, how was it that the same man had suddenly become “unreliable” when it came to the ISI chief, Chaudhry Nisar ‘unwillingly’ agreed. “Isn’t that a double standards. Isn’t it a contradiction within?” she questioned.
A blog posting on The Independent’s website quoted Ijaz as having said, “Their [US intelligence] information was that Pasha had travelled to a few Arab countries to talk about what the necessary line of action would be in the event that they had to remove Zardari from power, and so forth.”
The government should authenticate the allegations and take “necessary steps”, Chaudhry Nisar said, changing his stance.
After the Abbottabad raid unfolded, Chaudhry Nisar said it was he who “dared” Pasha to resign but nobody supported him back then. “Principally, I agree with her [Bushra’s] stance … but it is up to the government to seek a resignation from anyone,” he added.
It was the first time that a parliamentarian representing a major political party called for the ISI chief to resign in order to prove that the allegations against him were untrue.
(Read: Deconstructing the SC order on the memo)
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2011.================By Faisal ShakeelPublished: December 16, 2011President Asif Ali Zardari The government abstained from submitting a reply by the president. This opens up a fresh issue between the executive and the judiciary.ISLAMABAD: All replies are in, except one – and perhaps the most important one.Thursday saw the Supreme Court’s deadline pass with no reply from President Asif Ali Zardari in the Memogate scandal case.Replies from the heads of the army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), however, were safely tucked away after they were submitted to Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq. The military’s position appears to have been formed by ISI Director General Shuja Pasha, who seems convinced of foul-play following a shadowy meeting in London with US businessman Mansoor Ijaz.The federal government did submit a reply: That the SC should dismiss the petition because sufficient investigations by the executive itself are already under way.Also submitted through the Attorney General (AG), the government’s reply questioned the very necessity of the SC hearings, arguing that the parliamentary committee on national security is already probing Memogate. The government also restated its unwavering position that neither the president nor the prime minister nor any other government official have anything to do with the alleged memo.Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s response was to hold an emergency meeting with the AG and other close advisors. Sources said the AG shared the details of the replies by the army and ISI chiefs – and his analysis was that the content of the documents had been very carefully drafted and recommendations about “national interest” are very clear.COAS puts trust in DG ISI’s judgmentArmy chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, it seems, is relying on ISI chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha’s word.According to a source, Kayani’s reply read as follows: “On October 24, DG ISI briefed me on the issue and his meeting with Mansoor Ijaz in London. In his opinion, sufficient material was available on the memo’s existence and that it had been passed to Admiral Mike Mullen.”“He also opined that the evidence Mansoor Ijaz gave him was enough to establish that Mr Hussain Haqqani remained in touch with him from May 2011 onwards and exchanged numerous text messages and telephone calls. As per DG ISI’s assessment, the sequence of the text messages and telephone calls [between Ijaz and Haqqani] created a reasonable doubt regarding Haqqani’s association with the memo,” the reply went on to say, the source told The Express Tribune.“There is nothing denying the fact that the memo exists and it is also admitted to have been delivered and received by the US authorities. Therefore, there may be a need to fully examine the facts and circumstances leading to the conception and issuance of the memo.”Ijaz has his (long) sayThe man responsible for breaking the Memogate story to the world, Mansoor Ijaz, offered to appear before the SC to present “physical evidence”, after filing his reply on Wednesday. A man known to like having his say, Ijaz’s reply is no less than 81 pages long.A study of the document indicates that Ijaz took extraordinary interest in getting the memo through to Admiral Mike Mullen, as is evident from the number of calls he made to Haqqani and former US national security advisor General James Jones.While Ijaz, as he has done since his initial Financial Times op-ed, happily sells Haqqani down the river, he is doubtful of President Zardari’s involvement. His reply reads: “It was entirely possible in my mind, given the adverse reaction Haqqani had shown me on the two telephone calls I had with him prior to this meeting, that Haqqani did not properly inform the government of Pakistan of his activities.”A shadowy meeting at London hotelIn his reply, Ijaz details his meeting with General Pasha in London on October 22. The meeting, at which the ISI chief is supposed to have been convinced of Ijaz’s version of events, at times sounds like a scene from a spy thriller novel.“We met … at the Park Lane Intercontinental Hotel, Room 210. We both agreed to take batteries out of our telephones while we spoke … He made clear he was in London with the consent of the army chief, Gen Kayani.“…He asked questions, at times looked a bit astonished at what he was seeing but at no time did he offer any assessment of the data other than to indicate that the records were clear and convincing evidence.“Intermittently during the data brief, I would open my computer or my Blackberry device and point out how the data was stored, transmitted, displayed, etc. He then carefully analysed dates, times, properties of Microsoft documents to see when the documents were created and how they fit into the timeline I was stating, looked at the original telephone bill logs, checked the time at which each BBM message was sent or received and reviewed my handwritten notes.”More pin numbers, email addresses and other off-shoots of modern communications were examined. For the head of the ISI, the evidence was satisfactory. Where that now leaves the president, the government and the Supreme Court is a mystery even the best spy novelists might have trouble plotting.Ijaz relays the email trailIjaz claimed that in a call made on May 9, 2011, Haqqani asked him to deliver a ‘verbal message’ to the Americans, preferably to Admiral Mullen. Ijaz called Haqqani the same day and said he had talked to General Jones, who had refused to convey any message to Admiral Mullen.Ijaz said he drafted the memo on the basis of the handwritten notes he had taken when Haqqani first dictated points to him. Ijaz left a voicemail for Haqqani at his London hotel, asking him to call back for his response to his email containing the first draft of the memorandum.He also, he claims, rang up General Jones, informing him that Haqqani would need to seek permission from the “requisite authority to let [the memo] go out” in writing. Ijaz informed Haqqani through Blackberry messenger that the memorandum was finally delivered to General Jones and that “it was now up to Admiral Mullen to decide how hard to push on General Kayani”.Ijaz’s reply goes on to state he will reveal the names of two “key US persons” he contacted to convey the memo to Admiral Mullen, if the SC demands it.(Read: The memo that opened the gates!)Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2011.===========Rope being tightened around parliament’s neck: AwanPublished: December 17, 2011PPP leader says new nexus a ‘political Tara Masih’. PHOTO: INP/ FILELAHORE: PPP leader Babar Awan warned on Friday that the “rope around the neck of the parliament was being tightened” and blamed opposition leader Nawaz Sharif for doing so. Awan, a former law minister, is seen to be close to President Zardari.Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Awan said that those behind this conspiracy have done so four times in the past too and warned that these forces were active once again.Speaking at the residence of PPP Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Raja Riaz, Awan slammed Nawaz Sharif for moving the Supreme Court in the Memogate case. He also indirectly criticised the role of the judiciary in this regard.Awan seemed to convey that Sharif and the judiciary have formed a nexus against the present democratic set-up. He called them the political “Tara Masih” of Pakistan. It may be recalled that Tara Masih was one the country’s most famous hangmen, who also led Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to the gallows.Awan assured reporters that despite the conspiracy against the present government, it would complete its tenure, “come what may.”Awan told reporters that Nawaz Sharif had earlier hatched conspiracies against the late Benazir Bhutto and helped topple her government twice. He added that the older generation of non-political leaders who took root in 1985, were now using the new generation as front men in the Memogate issue, citing the role he claimed was being played by Khawaja Asif, the son of former politician Khawaja Safder.Awan said that Nawaz Sharif had joined forces with those who strangled democracy in Pakistan. He noted that on the unfortunate anniversary of December 16, the day when Pakistani forces surrendered to the Indians, another application had been moved in court which was a conspiracy against democracy. He referred to Ishaq Dar and Khawaja Asif who filed applications in the Supreme Court pleading to include three others in the Memogate hearings.Awan said the constitution clearly stated the powers and limitations of every institution. He also warned the courts indirectly not to strangle democracy. “We should all support democracy which was established with the help of the ballot not the bullet.”Published in The Express Tribune, December 17th, 2011.================Zardari warns of ‘consequences’ if Article 47 imposedBy Abdul Hafeez - Dec 16th, 2011 (No Comment) 6Karachi: Pakistan of President and Co-chairman ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari who is in Dubai for health reasons has said that he was absolutely fine but doctors are not allowing him for travelling.Talking to a senior Pakistani journalist on Friday , the president said that how could Article 47 of the Constitution be imposed on him as he was absolutely fine,“If it is done, then my manifesto will be “ Aisay Dastoor ko Main Nahi Manta”( I deny such institution)”, the president was quoted by the journalist as saying.Pakistan’s powerful military and the democratic government are at loggerheads over memogate issue which plunged the politically fragile but nuclear armed country into new crisis.==================Game-changer?: Man who delivered memo casts doubtsBy Rana TanveerPublished: December 17, 2011" My personal opinion was that the memo was probably not credible," Former US national security adviser Gen (retd) James Jones. PHOTO: APLAHORE: In a key development in the Memogate scandal, a principal player has jumped into the fray – potentially turning the case on the matter, currently under scrutiny in the Supreme Court, on its head.Gen (retd) James Logan Jones, former US national security adviser, and the man that handed the memo to the then-chief of US military, has said, in an affidavit to be filed in the court, that Mansoor Ijaz not once mentioned the name of principal accused Husain Haqqani in their conversations leading up to the sending of the unofficial communiqué.He also cast serious doubts on the veracity of Ijaz’s claims that the memo had the backing of the “highest authorities” in Pakistan. In fact, he has stressed that he had no reason to believe that Haqqani had anything to do with it, and that the document was probably not “credible”.Jones’ three-page statement has been given to Asma Jahangir for filing in the Supreme Court. Talking to The Express Tribune, Jahangir, who is representing former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani, said she would be filing the document in the court registrar’s office on Monday.The affidavit, which was drafted and attested by notary public on December 12, reads:“I was in private life at all times relevant to the matters (memogate). I make this affidavit in response to a request from Pakistani counsel for former Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani. It is my understanding that the affidavit may be used on his behalf with respect to an investigation currently under way in Pakistan”.Citing details of the contact by Mansoor Ijaz, Jones said in the affidavit, “A few days before May 9, 2011 I received a phone call from Mr Mansoor Ijaz. I have known Mr Ijaz in a personal capacity since 2006. During the call Mr Ijaz mentioned that he had a message from the “highest authority” in the Pakistan government which he asked me to relay to then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen. At no time during the call do I remember Mr Ijaz mentioning Ambassador Haqqani, and he gave me no reason to believe that he was acting at the direction of Ambassador Haqqani, with his participation, or that Ambassador Haqqani had knowledge of the call or contents of the message.“On May 9th I received an email from Mr Ijaz attaching an unsigned memo. The e-mail was sent to my personal e-mail address by Mr Ijaz. The memo was not marked classified or restricted … Mr Ijaz again stated that the memo was authorised by the ‘highest authority’ within the Pakistan government. Mr Ijaz asked that I deliver the memo to Admiral Mullen. It was my assumption that the memo was written by Mr Ijaz, since the memo essentially put into writing the language he had used in our telephone conversation earlier,” Jones said.He added: “I do not recall whether Mr Ijaz claimed that Ambassador Haqqani had any role in the creation of the memo. I have no reason to believe that Ambassador Haqqani had any role in the creation of the memo, nor that he had any prior knowledge of the memo. Upon my reading of the memo that I was asked to forward Admiral Mullen, it struck me as highly unusual that the ‘highest authority’ in the Pakistan government would use Mr Ijaz, a private citizen and part-time journalist living in Europe, as a conduit for this communication. My personal opinion was that the memo was probably not credible.”Jones went on to say, “… I felt obligated to forward it, as requested, to Admiral Mullen. Admiral Mullen, in his official capacity was better able to make a judgment as to the memo’s credibility … Accordingly on May 10th, I emailed the memo to Admiral Mullen. It is my understanding from Admiral Mullen’s public statement on the matter that he reviewed the memo, did not find it credible, and did not take any action.”(Read: Memogate unfolding)Published in The Express Tribune, December 17th, 2011.===============فوج نےپتےظاہرنہیں کیے،نجم سیٹھیby Fayyaz Siddiqui on 48 mins ago // No Comment 3کراچی : امریکی حلقوں میں اثر و رسوخ رکھنے والے پاکستان کے ممتاز تجزیہ نگار ممتاز سیٹھی کا کہنا ہے کہ میمو گیٹ اسکینڈل پر پاک فوج نے اب تک اپنے پتے ظاہر نہیں کیا جس کی وجہ سے گیم سیٹل نہیں ہوا۔پاکستانی ٹی وی چینل جیو نیوز کے پروگرام آپس کی بات میں واشنگٹن سے گفتگو کرتے ہوئے ان کا کہنا تھا کہ میمو گیٹ کیس میں پاک فوج کی جانب سے عدالت میں داخل کیے جانے والے بیانات میں فیصلہ کن بات نہیں ہوئی یہی وجہ ہے کہ صدر آصف علی زرداری نے کسی حد تک خود کو محفوظ تصور کرتے ہوئے وطن واپسی کا فیصلہ کیا۔نجم سیٹھی نے خیال ظاہر کیا کہ صدر زرداری اور جنرل کیانی کے درمیان بذریعہ فون ہونے والی گفتگو میں مبہم قسم کی باتیں ہوئی ہیں جس پر کوئی حتمی رائے نہیں دی جاسکتی ، وثوق سے نہیں کہا جاسکتا کہ اونٹ کس کروٹ بیٹھے گا۔انہوں نے کا کہا کہ صدر زرداری فوج کے ڈیمانڈ سامنے آنے پر یقینناعسکری نمائندوں کے ساتھ بیٹھ کر معاملات طے کرنے کا فیصلہ کریں گے۔پاکستانی تجزیہ نگار کے بقول نواز شریف مارشل لا کو قبول نہ کرنے کی تکرار کرکے لوگوں کا وقت ضائع کر رہے ہیں کیوں کہ یہ سب کو معلوم ہے کہ فوج اقتدار پر شب خون نہیں مارنا چاہتی، آرمی چیف کو اس بات سے بخوبی واقف ہیں کہ خطے کے حالات، میڈیا ، عدلیہ، سیاسی جماعتیں اور عالمی برادری اس چیز کو فی الوقت کسی صورت قبول نہیں کریں گے اور غیر آئینی اقدام سے سخت اقتصادی پابندیوں کا بھی سامنا کرنا ہوگا۔ان کے مطابق سپریم کورٹ بار کی سابق صدر اور حسین حقانی کی وکیل عاصمہ جہانگر کی باتیں ہیں لیکن شاید انہیں اس بات کا اندازہ نہیں کہ یہ قانونی نہیں بلکہ سیاسی باتوں کا وقت ہے، آئی ایس آئی کے خلاف بات کرتے ہوئے اچھے اچھوں کی ٹانگیں لڑکھڑا جاتی ہیں۔======== Questions Raised: Pressure on PashaPublished: December 20, 2011ISI chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha is not new to confrontations, and these coming from political quarters should not make him break a sweat at least.ISLAMABAD: The rhetoric against country’s top spymaster has increased in recent days – that too from a number of quarters.Asma Jahangir, the counsel for former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani, said on Monday that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Shuja Ahmed Pasha “should have resigned immediately” after the May 2 raid in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden.Speaking to the media after the Memogate case hearing, Jahangir said she did not understand why the DG ISI felt the need to travel abroad in order to investigate the matter. Jehangir also questioned Pasha’s meeting with Mansoor Ijaz.Asma said she was baffled by Pasha’s meeting with Ijaz. “I don’t understand his interest in the Memogate affair,” she added.“Under whose authority did he go abroad?” she said, referring to the permission Pasha had required from the prime minister. Ijaz, in his reply, had stated that Pasha told him that he was meeting him with the knowledge of the Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.Petition against PashaCommunist Party Chairman Engineer Jamil Ahmed Malik has also applied pressure on General Pasha. On Monday he pleaded with the Supreme Court to take action against the ISI chief for allegedly meeting Arab rulers.Filing a petition in the SC on Monday, Jameel asked the court to remove Pasha, claiming he has lost the right to remain in service after his involvement in the Memogate affair.Jamil said that, although reports regarding Pasha’s meeting with senior Arab leaders were carried in the press, neither ISPR (Inter Services Public Relations) nor Pasha had contradicted them. In the ‘Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto versus President of Pakistan’ case, the SC had decided that “facts given in newspapers, having not been denied, would be considered as undisputed fact”, Jamil said.Jamil’s argument, therefore, is that news on the meeting indicated that Pasha and the army were involved in politics, which was contrary to their oath under Article 244 of the Constitution. He added that the SC in a 2004 case had barred all government employees from taking part in politics during service. “…the ISI chief has hatched a conspiracy against an elected government and the president and he deserves a court martial under the Pakistan Army Act, 152,” Jamil said.Last week, a parliamentarian from the ANP, Bushra Gohar made a similar demand on the floor of the house – demanding that Pasha either resign or be sacked and face an inquiry on the coup plotting charges.Abbottabad commission abuzzMost of the political leaders interviewed by the panel have suggested that it should recommend removal of top individuals from the country’s security establishment if it is proved that slain al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden conveniently lived in Pakistan for years.The most obvious of these ‘top individuals’ would be spy chief Lt Gen Pasha – given that the incident points in the direction of either an intelligence failure or collaboration.Last week, top leaders from Awami National Party (ANP), Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) appeared before the body with recommendations by their respective political parties.Headed by former Supreme Court judge Javed Iqbal, the commission is tasked to probe the exact circumstances surrounding the terror network leader’s killing in a night raid by American commandoes in the garrison city of Abbottabad in May this year.The commission is currently seeking recommendations from the top leaders of political parties.“The one question they (body’s members) asked everyone is what should be recommended if bin Laden living in the Abbottabad compound for years is proven,” said one of the political leaders who appeared before the commission last week.“And we have told them some heads must roll…perhaps at the top. Why not?” said the political leader, who did not want to be named.Another ‘hot’ issue under discussion revolves around what should be proposed if it was proved that Pakistan’s political leadership had prior knowledge of the raid by the US navy SEALs.“They asked this but most of the politicians posit that apart from intelligence authorities, no one might have prior knowledge of the raid,” said the leader.Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2011.====================میموگیٹ میں لکھا کیا ہے ؟by Ehtisham-ur-Rehman on 5 hours ago // 1 Comment میموگیٹ ایک ایسا ایشو ہے جو آج ملکی سیاست پر چھایاہواہے۔سپریم کورٹ آف پاکستان میں نو رکنی بینچ نے میموگیٹ اسکینڈل کیس کی سماعت شروع کردی ہے ۔کیس کی سماعت سے صرف ، نو ،گھنٹے قبل رات کی تاریکی میں اچانک صدرمملکت آصف علی زرداری بھی پاکستان پہنچ گئے۔ جس پراسراراندازمیں صدرزرداری علاج کیلیئے دبئی گئے اسی خاموشی سے وہ کراچی کی مسرورائیربیس پر اترے اور عقبی دروازے سے بلاول ہاؤس میں داخل ہوئے۔دبئی سے کراچی تک صدرزرداری کے دیدار سے قوم محروم رہی ہے۔صدرزرداری کا میڈیااورعوام سے پردہ کیوں کرایاجارہاہے؟ کچھ تو ہے جس کی پردہ داری ہے ۔ یہ راز بھی چند دنوں میں کھل جائے گا۔ لیکن ایسالگتاہے کہ تین گھنٹے کی کیانی ،گیلانی ملاقات اور بعدازاں گیلانی کی درخواست پر کیانی کا زرداری کو فون کسی اور ڈیل کا شاخسانہ ہے اور کوئی یقین دہانی حاصل کرنے کے بعد ہی صدرمملکت واپس تشریف لائے ہیں۔خیر بات ہورہی تھی میموگیٹ اسکینڈل کی جس میں ابتک آرمی،چیف، اور ڈایریکٹر جنرل آئی ، ایس،آئی ، وفاقی حکومت ،حسین حقانی جنرل جیمز جونز وغیرہ تو جواب داخل کرواچکے ہیں تاہم صدرمملکت آصف علی زرداری کی جانب سے میمو اسکینڈل میں کوئی جواب تاحال داخل نہیں کروایا گیا۔کہا جارہاہے کہ صدرواپس آگئے ہیں اسلیئے اب قانونی ماہرین سے صلاح مشورے کے بعد ہی ہوسکتاہے کہ مستقبل قریب میں بادل نخواستہ وہ بھی جواب داخل کرواہی دیں۔لیکن صدر کا ممکنہ جواب کیا ہوگا؟ یہ بھی ملین ڈالر کا سوال ہے۔لیکن بابراعوان سمیت بہت سے ،، جیالوں،، کو توہین عدالت کا سامنا بھی کرنا پڑسکتاہے اور وفاقی وزراءبشمول نان وزیر بابراعوان کے بیانات سے عدالت عظمی خوش نہیں ہے ۔ عدالت عظمٰی میں جمع کروائے جانے والے سب بیانات میں ایک اہم بات یہ ہے کہ میمو ایک حقیقت اور سازش ہے ۔دنیا میں جرم کرنے والا کبھی بھی اپنا جرم تسلیم نہیں کرتاہے بلکہ اس سے حقیقت اگلوانے کیلیئے مختلف طریقہءکار استعمال کیئے جاتے ہیں۔ لہذا میمو اسکینڈل میں بھی عدالت کو کوئی نہ کوئی ،، طریقہ،، اختیار کرنا ہی پڑے گا اور مرتکب جرم کو سزادیناہی ہوگی۔تاہم ابھی یہ کہنا قبل ازوقت ہے کہ سزاکسے ملے گی اور کیسی ؟ اس کا فیصلہ بھی عدالت ہی کرے گی۔ہمارے اکثر قارئین ،میمو میمو ،، سن کرتنگ آگئے ہونگے لیکن بہت کم کو یہ علم ہے کہ میمو میں لکھا کیا ہے تو آیئے آپکو بتاتے ہیں کہ اس میں کیا باتیں لکھی گئیں۔(میمو کا ترجمہ پاکستان کے ایک نامور صحافی محترم طلعت حسین صاحب نے کیا ہے اور ترجمہ کے مندرجات آپ تک پہنچانے کیلیئے میں ان کا مشکورہوں)۔قارئین یہ میمو دس مئی دوہزارگیارہ کو امریکی چئیر مین جوائینٹ چیفس آف اسٹاف ایڈمرل مایئک مولن کے نام لکھا گیا اس میں لکھاگیا کہ :پچھلے بہتر گھنٹوں میں جب سے صدر ، وزیراعظم اور چیف آف آرمی اسٹاف کے درمیان ملاقات ہوئی ہے پاکستان کے سیاسی ماحول میں بہت خرابی پیداہوگئی ہے۔ مختلف اداروں کی طرف سے اسامہ بن لادن کے واقعے پرایکدوسرے کو مورد الزام ٹھہرانے کی کوششوں کے باعث سویلین حکومت اور فوج کے درمیان کشیدگی شدت اختیار کرگئی ہے۔ آئی،ایس،آئی کی طرف سے سی، آئی،اے،کے پاکستان میں موجود انچارج کے نام کو ظاہر کیئے جانے والے واقعات سے یہ ثابت ہوتاہے کہ اسلام آباد میں زمینی حقا ئق اتنے خراب ہوگئے ہیں کہ یہاں پر کوئی بھی انچارج نہیں ہے۔سویلین حکومت فوج کی طرف سے پڑنے والے دباؤ اور انکی طرف سے پالیسی تبدیل کرنے کی فرمائیش کو مزیدبرداشت نہیں کرسکتی ۔اگر سویلین حکومت کا خاتمہ ہوگیا تو پاکستان اسامہ بن لادن کے ورثاءکی سرزمین بن جائے گا اور القاعدہ کی طرح کی دہشت گردی اور پاگل پن یہاں جڑپکڑ لے گا۔ یہ ایک بڑا اچھا موقع ہے کہ سویلین حکومت اپنی طاقت میں اضافہ کرے کیونکہ آرمی اور انٹیلی جنس ایجنسیاں اسامہ بن لادن کے معاملے میں ملوث ہونے کے باعث اس وقت کمزور ہیں۔ہم آپ سے براہ راست دخل اندازی کی درخواست کررہے ہیں تاکہ جنرل کیانی اور جنرل پاشا دونوں کو یہ پیغام پہنچایا جائے کہ سویلین حکومت گرانے کی کوششیں بند کردیں۔ان کو یہ بتایا جائے کہ یہ سانحہ مشرقی پاکستان والی صورتحال ہے،اگر آپکی مدد سے امریکا ہماری یہ درخواست قبول کرتاہے تو ہم ایک نئی قومی سلامتی کی ایسی ٹیم بنانے کو تیار ہیں جو پاکستان میں ایک امریکی دوست سویلین حکومت کی خارجہ اور دفاعی پالیسی کی سمت متعین کریں۔اس ٹیم کے اراکین سابق فوجی اور سویلین افسران ہونگے جو واشنگٹن کے پسندیدہ ہیں اور جن کے امریکی انٹیلی جنس اور دفاعی اداروں کے ساتھ تعلقات ہیں۔ان لوگوں کے نام ہم آپکو ایک ذاتی نشست میں مہیا کردیں گے۔اگر واشنگٹن کی براہ راست دخل اندازی آپ جناب کی مد دسے شامل حال ہوگئی اور جنرل کیانی کو آپکا پیغام مل گیا( کیونکہ وہ صرف آپ کی ہی بات سنیں گے) اور پاکستان کی فوجی اور انٹیلی جنس ایجنسیاں اپنی حرکتوں سے باز آجائیں تو قومی سلامتی کی نئی ٹیم سویلین حکومت کی مدد سے مندرجہ بالا اقدامات کرنے کا وعدہ کرتی ہے۔1) صدر مملکت اسامہ بن لادن کے معاملے کی تحقیقات آرڈر کرینگے تاکہ ان الزامات کی تہہ تک پہنچاجائے کہ کس نے اسامہ اور القاعدہ کی قیادت کو پناہ دی تھی۔وائیٹ ہاؤس اس تحقیقاتی کمیشن کے نام تجویز کرسکتاہے تاکہ ایسا ہی کمیشن بنے جیساکہ نائین الیون کیلیئے بنا تھا۔ 2 ) یہ کمیشن وہ تفصیلات سامنے لائے گا جنکی قدر امریکی مفادات کیلیئے ظاہر ہوگی اور امریکا کے عوام کو یہ پتہ چل پائے گا کہ اسامہ بن لادن کے حلقہ اثر کو سویلین اور فوجی اداروں تک پہنچانے والے کون سے عناصر ہیں۔یہ واضح ہے کہ اسامہ بن لادن کمیشن کی تحقیقات کے نتیجے میں ان تما م لوگوں کی نوکریاں ختم کردی جائیں گی جو سویلین اور ملٹری اداروں کے نمائیندے ہونے کے باوجود اس کی مدد کررہے تھے۔ 3) قومی سلامتی کی نئی ٹیم القاعدہ کے باقی ماندہ اراکین جو پاکستان کی سرزمین پر موجودہیں یعنی ایمن الظواہری، ملا عمر، اور سراج الدین حقانی وغیر ہ ان کو امریکا کے حوالے کرنے کی پالیسی اپنائے گی یا یہ قومی سلامتی کی ٹیم امریکی افواج کو یہ اجازت دے گی کہ وہ پاکستان کی سرزمین پر کارروائی کرکے ان لوگوں کو مارڈالے۔ امریکی افواج کو اس ،،،کھلی چھٹی ،،، کے سیاسی نقصانات ہونگے لیکن نئی قومی سلامتی کی ٹیم کی طرف سے اجازت دینا اس وجہ سے ضروری ہے کہ پاکستان کی سرزمین کو ان بڑے عناصر سے پاک کردیا جائے۔سویلین حکومت ان اقدامات کی مکمل حمایت کرے گی۔4 ) پاکستان کی آرمی اور انٹیلی جنس ایجنسی کو سب سے بڑا خطرہ یہ ہے کہ آپ یعنی امریکا اپنی خفیہ بمباروں کی صلاحیت استعمال کرتے ہوئے پاکستان کے ایٹمی اثاثوں کو نشانہ بنا سکتا ہے۔ ہماری قومی سلامتی کی نئی ٹیم سویلین حکومت کی مدد سے ایسا لائیحہ عمل مرتب کرے گی جس سے پاکستان کے ایٹمی پروگرام کو ایک متفقہ نظم وضبط میں لایا جائے۔ اس قسم کی کوشش پچھلی ملٹری حکومت نے کی تھی جس کے نتائج تسلی بخش تھے۔ ہم ان تمام اقدامات کو دوبارہ سے متعارف کروائیں گے اور پاکستان کے ایٹمی اثاثوں کو ایک شفاف ،تسلی بخش اور قابل تصدیق نظام کے تحت لایا جائے گا۔5 ) قومی سلامتی کی نئی ٹیم آئی، ایس ، آئی کے شعبہ کو بند کردے گی جس کا کا م طالبان اور حقانی نیٹ ورک سے تعلقات رکھناہے۔ اس اقدام سے افغانستان کے ساتھ تعلقات میں بہتری آئے گی۔6) سویلین حکومت قومی سلامتی کی ٹیم کی ہدایات کی روشنی میں ممبئی حملوں میں ملوث ان تمام عناصر کو پکڑے گی جن کا تعلق حکومت سے ہے یا وہ حکومت سے باہر رہ کر کام کرتے ہیں۔ ان میں سے جس کے خلاف بھی موثر شواہد ملے اس کو ہندوستان کی سیکیوریٹی فورسز کے حوالے کردیا جائے گا۔قارئین اس میمو کے آخر میں لکھا گیا کہ ۔۔۔۔پاکستان اس وقت ایک اہم موڑ پر کھڑا ہے ۔ہم تمام لوگ جو اس ملک کو بہتر طریقے سے چلانا چاہتے ہیں اور ہندوستان اور افغانستان سے تعلقات بہتر رکھنا چاہتے ہیں امریکا سے مدد کے طلبگار ہیں ۔ تاکہ ان تمام قوتوں کو ڈربے میں بند کیا جائے جو ہمارے خلاف کمر بستہ ہیں ۔ با لخصوص وہ عنا صر جو پاکستان کے اند رموجود ہیں اور جن کو اسامہ بن لادن کے واقعے کے بعد نئی راہ پر لگانا بہت ضروری ہے ۔ہم یہ درخواست اس اجتماعی قومی سلامتی کی ٹیم کے متوقع ممبران کی حیثیت سے آپکے سامنے رکھ رہے ہیں جن کو ،،، صدر پاکستان ،،، آپکی آشیرواد سے یہ ذمہ داری سونپیں گے۔ یہ ہے وہ گفتگو جو اس میمو میں کی گئی ہے جس سے اندازہ ہوتا ہے کہ کس حد تک خطرناک منصوبہ تیار کیا گیا اور کس طرح سے امریکا کیلیئے اپنی خدمات پیش کی گئیں۔ اگر یہ میمواسکینڈل عدالت عظمی میں تحقیقات کے بعد واقعی سچ ثابت ہوتاہے تو پھر کوئی ،،، بیماری ،، کا بہانا کرے یا واقعی بیمار ہو اسکا پاکستان کے آئین کے آرٹیکل چھ کے تحت ،، غدار،، قرار دیا جائے گا۔ اور یہ انتہائی شرم کی بات ہوگی کہ وہ حکمران جنھیں عوام کے ووٹوں سے منتخب ہونے کے بیانات دیتے زبان نہیں تھکتی درحقیقت پاکستان اور اسکے عوام کے نہیں۔۔۔۔۔ امریکا کے وفادار ہیں۔ دو مئی کے ایبٹ آباد والے سانحے سے لے کر چھبیس گیارہ کے سلالہ حملے تک کی کڑیاں آپس میں ملتی ہیں۔ ایبٹ آباد کمیشن کی تحقیقات جاری ہیں اور شیخ رشید نے کمیشن کے سامنے کھل کر کہہ دیا ہے کہ حسین حقانی دومئی دوہزارگیارہ والے ایبٹ آباد آپریشن کے ذمہ دار ہیں۔تاہم عاصمہ جہانگیر اسے شیخ چلی کی کاوش قراردے رہی ہیں۔ سپریم کورٹ اب آئیندہ جمعرات کو جب اس کیس کی سماعت کرے گی تو مزید صورتحال بھی واضح ہوگی۔ لیکن عمران خان کا یہ بیان کہ زرداری نے پیپلز پارٹی پر خودکش حملہ کیا اور شاہ محمود کا بیان کہ زرداری کی موجودگی میں پاکستان کا ایٹمی پروگرام محفوظ نہیں رہ سکتا بہت اہمیت کے حامل ہیں جنھیں نظر انداز نہیں کیا جاسکتا۔اللہ کرے کے میمو کی یہ ساری باتیں جھوٹ ہوں ہماری بھی یہی خواہش ہے کہ ہماری قیادت اس سازش سے نکلے لیکن ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔دال میں کچھ کالا ضرور ہے۔۔۔وگرنہ امریکی میڈیا یہ نہ کہتا کہ زرداری صاحب بے نظیر بھٹو کی برسی کی تقریبات میں شرکت کے بعد لندن یا امریکا روانہ ہوجائیں گے اس میں بھی کتنی صداقت ہے وقت بتائے گا۔======================================Conspiracy being hatched to topple government: GilaniBy Abdul Hafeez - Dec 22nd, 2011 (No Comment)Islamabad: As tensions between Pakistan’s powerful military and the civilian government are on the rise over memogate scandal that has been roiling the nuclear armed nation, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has come up with an aggressive mood, claiming that conspiracies are being hatched to topple the democratically elected government.Speaking to students at a ceremony held with regard to birth anniversary of Pakistan’s founding father Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah on Thursday, the prime minister said the country dismembered in the past due to treason allegations against the politicians.“Conspiracies are being hatched against government,” he said and added despots have been attacking the Constitution of the country.Gilani said that the Pakistan Army was an organize institution and would respect the constitution.The prime minister said no army in the world could fight a war without the backing of the masses.Later, speaking in the National Assembly, the prime minister said the his governmnet supported the military in trying times.“We raised salaries of our soldiers, we stand by with the army after OBL operation, we stand by with them after Nato raid, but, we will not allow them to be an state within state, they would be accountable to the parliament, ” the PM went on saying.He said that now the question was being raised who had issued visas to Americans. We also have a question that who had issue visa to Osama bin Laden.====================Related NewsU.S. probe sees shared blame in Pakistan air strike8:49am ESTAnalysis & OpinionMuniland Snaps – December 20, 2011Senior al-Azhar Sheikh Emad Effat shot dead during Cairo protestsRelated TopicsWorld »By Michael GeorgyISLAMABAD | Thu Dec 22, 2011 9:45am EST(Reuters) - Pakistan's powerful army is fed up with unpopular President Asif Ali Zardari and wants him out of office, but through legal means and without a repeat of the coups that are a hallmark of the country's 64 years of independence, military sources said.Tensions are rising between Pakistan's civilian leaders and its generals over a memo that accused the army of plotting a coup after the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May."Who isn't fed up with Zardari? It's not just the opposition and the man on the street but people within the government too," said one military source who asked not to be named."But there has to be a proper way. No action is being planned by the army. Even if we tried, it would be very unpopular and not just with the government and the opposition but most Pakistanis too."The Pakistani military spokesman declined comment.General Ashfaq Kayani has pledged to keep the military out of Pakistani politics since taking over as army chief in 2007.Any coup -- Pakistan has had three since independence in 1947 -- could further tarnish the military's public image which has already taken a battering after the bin Laden operation, widely seen in Pakistan as a violation of sovereignty.But the army remains the arbiter of power and analysts say it has plenty of ways to pressure Zardari to step down, especially if a link is established between him and the memo, which sought the Pentagon's help in averting a feared coup.Businessman Mansoor Ijaz, writing in a column in the Financial Times on October 10, said a senior Pakistani diplomat had asked that a memo be delivered to the Pentagon with a plea for U.S. help to stave off a military coup in the days after the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May.Ijaz later identified the diplomat as Pakistan's ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, who denied involvement but resigned over the controversy. No evidence has emerged that the military was plotting a coup and the Pentagon at the time dismissed the memo as not credible.Friction between Pakistan's civilian government and military have bedeviled the nuclear-armed South Asian country for almost its entire existence, with the military ruling for more than half its 64-year history after a series of coups.In the past the army has asked Pakistani civilian leaders to resign and influenced judicial proceedings against them.Haqqani's resignation was seen by many analysts as further weakening the civilian government, which is already beset by allegations of corruption and incompetence in the face of many challenges, including a weak economy and a Taliban insurgency.MEMOGATEZardari returned to Pakistan this week from medical treatment in Dubai that raised speculation he would resign under pressure from the military over what has been dubbed "memogate."Although his position is largely ceremonial, he wields considerable influence as leader of the ruling party and his forced departure would be a humiliation for the civilian leadership and could throw the country into turmoil.One of the military sources suggested that no direct action would be needed against the government because it had already made so many mistakes."If the government is digging its own grave, we are not going to look for spades," the source said.The military has reasserted itself after a November 26 NATO cross-border air attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and the memo has also given it political ammunition.In a statement submitted to the Supreme Court, which is looking into a petition demanding an inquiry into who may have been behind the memo, Kayani said it was a serious matter which required an investigation."We want anyone involved, be they in government or elsewhere, to be punished. But it is not for us to do anything. If the army moves to do anything it would have national as well as international repercussions," said another military source."So that is not likely. Anything that has to be done has to be done by the Supreme Court."Officials from Zardari's ruling party have played down friction with the military and say they don't fear a coup.But they fear that some judges in the increasingly aggressive Supreme Court dislike Zardari and could move against him."I am not bothered about the army. I think they are acting very sensibly and would not derail the system at the moment," a senior ruling party leader told Reuters."The worry probably would be what the Supreme Court does. They look in a mood to manipulate things."The government's anxiety over memogate was highlighted in comments made by Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on Thursday."Let me make clear to you today that there are intrigues, conspiracies afoot to pack up the elected government," he said in a speech at the National Art Gallery.(Editing by Jonathan Thatcher)===========================By EditorialPublished: December 23, 2011Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani needs to be thoroughly commended for his very timely and brave speech. PHOTO: NNIPrime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani needs to be thoroughly commended for his very timely and brave speech on the floor of the National Assembly on December 22. In it, he said many of the things that need to be said at this stage, by the country’s elected chief executive, as tensions between the civilian government and the military simmer to a boil. Perhaps responding to the ministry of defence’s reply to the Supreme Court of a day earlier, which had suggested that the army and the ISI were not under its control, the prime minister very rightly said that there “can’t be a state within the state; [and that] they [the establishment] would always be answerable to parliament”. He added that all institutions of the country are answerable to parliament and this is how things should be in fully functional democracy where rule of law and the Constitution is supreme. The prime minister is also correct when he says that it was the civilian government which put its full weight behind the establishment after the May 2 raid in Abbottabad or after the Salala raid of November 26. For that, he feels, it is getting a very raw deal. Perhaps, one particularly telling remark of his was when he indirectly referred to calls being made regarding the alleged issuance of visas to Americans by the country’s former ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, saying that he wanted to know how Osama bin Laden was living in the country for six years.Of course, it doesn’t help this government in particular, in that its record on governance and delivering public services to citizens is most inadequate. However, the issue in question is not the performance of the present government per se, but rather that of which institution is supreme according to the country’s Constitution, and whether the powerful military is to be subordinate to parliament. Since the latter represents the popular will of the people, as manifest through the holding of general elections, it necessarily follows that the parliament be sovereign in its role as the nation’s supreme decision-making body, and all other institutions of state be answerable/accountable to it. The reality is otherwise as many of us know. The establishment is in charge of large sections of foreign policy and in many instances also calls the shots with regards to domestic policy. It has appropriated to itself the states policies towards important matters such as ties with America, with India and the country’s participation in the war on terror and the fight against domestic militancy and extremism. What is being advocated is not exactly heretical or extraordinary. It happens, by and large, next-door in India, where an elected civilian government, albeit with allegations of corruption and a tainted public image, has a military that is subordinate to it. The reason that India never had a military coup is because its civilian leaders asserted themselves and the country held regular elections. Parties contested them, the winners making a government, and if they did badly and failed to deliver, the people voted them out at the next election. This, indeed, is how things are done in a mature democracy, something Pakistan can, for now, only aspire to.In this context, Prime Minister Gilani’s remarks make eminent sense and should be welcomed by all those who want to see the country as a state that operates as a fully functional democracy and not one where the military dominates all other institutions, and where policies formulated by the establishment guide the nation. It goes without saying that in a democracy, all institutions of the state are answerable and hence subservient to parliament. This stand should have been taken by the PPP, which has fought several dictatorships in the past, in the first place, but better late than never. While the prime minister rightly made a strong case for the government to be allowed to complete its term, he did say that the military was “disciplined” and that it “followed the Constitution”. This is also welcome because it does not make for a blame-game and in fact, suggests an attempt by him to assuage the powerful institution, while at the same time clearly saying that whatever is happening will not be taken lying down by the PPP-led government.Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2011.==============Arab, treason and plot: Army finally rebuts claims of Pasha coup plotPublished: December 21, 2011Statement released on ISPR website says reports alleging that Pasha met with Arab leaders made 'false assertions'. PHOTO: AFP/FILEISLAMABAD: The chorus of resignation calls, which were fuelled by some serious allegations against the country’s intelligence chief, has managed to elicit a response – finally.The military on Wednesday denied that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief visited some Arab countries soon after the May 2 Abbottabad raid to discuss a military coup against the civilian government.Earlier, on December 13, a blog in the UK daily The Independent, quoted Mansoor Ijaz, the Pakistani-origin American businessman, and self-proclaimed whistleblower in the Memogate scandal, as saying: “Their [US intelligence] information was that Pasha had travelled to a few Arab countries to talk about what the necessary line of action would be in the event that they had to remove Zardari from power, and so forth.”Calls for resignationThe revelation led to first audible calls for Director General (DG) ISI Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s resignation on the parliament floor.“If Husain Haqqani (Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US) could resign based on mere allegations, why shouldn’t Pasha?” Awami National Party MNA Bushra Gohar questioned.The call was subsequently supported in principle by Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali and Haqqani’s counsel and former president Supreme Court Bar Association Asma Jahangir.Furthermore, Communist Party Chairman Engineer Jamil Ahmed Malik has also recently petitioned the Supreme Court to take action against the ISI chief for allegedly meeting Arab rulers, citing lack of denial or contradiction by Pasha.The military’s public relations wing finally issued a rebuttal on Wednesday.The denialFalse assertions have been attributed to the visit of DG ISI to Arab countries, said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).“It is clarified that the DG ISI did not meet any Arab leader between May 1 and 9, 2011, as mentioned in the article. The DG ISI’s other visits to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE only, prior to or after this period, were part of routine intelligence sharing activity, during which he interacted with his counterparts only,” the statement said.It added that contents of the article are ‘strongly and categorically denied.’A legal notice will also be served to the British newspaper to retract the story, the press release added.The statement comes a day before the Supreme Court is set to resume hearing of the Memogate scandal, where questions are expected to be raised about Pasha’s visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.(Read: Correcting the civil-military imbalance)Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2011.==================== At Garhi Khuda Bux: PPP stares down critics with own show of strengthBy Sarfaraz MemonPublished: December 28, 2011A crowd listens to President Asif Ali Zardari outside the Bhutto mausoleum on the fourth death anniversary of former premier Benazir Bhutto in Garhi Khuda Bux. PHOTO: AFPSUKKUR: He took to the stage resurgent, smiling, and confident.In his first public appearance since his return to Pakistan after an illness, President Asif Ali Zardari addressed a large gathering of supporters of his ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), vowing to defend democracy and even humorously replying to some of the jibes his political opponents had thrown his way in recent days.On the fourth anniversary of his wife Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, the president spoke of the struggles of the PPP and its first family. “Four people of the Bhutto family have sacrificed their lives and made it possible for me to stand at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh and face this mammoth crowd,” he said.The president spoke out against what he termed to be conspiracies not just against his own government but democracy itself.“Democracy can deliver and will deliver. How much time has been given to this nascent democracy? It will take time for it to flourish.”“We will fight for democracy as we do not fight for seats.”He vowed that his party would protect the federation at all costs. “We will fight any evil eye that is a threat to the federation, but our way will be that of Aung San Suu Kyi,” the president said, referring to Myanmar’s opposition leader, known the world over for her struggle for democracy.Zardari said only real democracy could deliver and pointed that attempts were being made to introduce ‘tailor-made democracies’ and added that those who were now jumping fences do not have any significant achievements to their credit. “Is this to derail real democracy, or an attempt to bring in some dictator,” he asked.Though he didn’t name those ‘jumping fences’, recently Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali, both former foreign ministers and senior PPP leaders, defected to join Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf which, political parties believe, has the backing of the powerful security establishment.Unlike the last three death anniversaries, the public meeting was organised in Garhi Khuda Bux instead of the president’s camp office in Naudero. In what was clearly meant to be a show of strength and unity within the ruling party, the president made sure to have some of the biggest names in his party address the gathering, including Aitzaz Ahsan, one of the most prominent PPP politicians who had been somewhat distant from the current administration.As Ahsan took to the stage, he took thinly veiled shots at PTI, which had a large and successful rally in Karachi.“This rally is not happening in a big city like Lahore or Karachi. It is happening in a small town further away from the big cities, and people from far away have come to attend it,” said Ahsan to an appreciative audience.Yet if Tuesday’s rally was meant to be a show of the PPP’s strength against the PTI, the rally had some severe shortcomings. While its size was roughly comparable to that of the PTI rally in Karachi (something of an achievement, considering the fact that Larkana is relatively small), there was a palpable enthusiasm gap between the supporters of the two parties.The PTI rally had optimistic, hopeful and happy supporters yearning for change. The PPP had angry, embittered supporters, some of whom wanted to set themselves on fire to grab the attention of the leaders whom they say have neglected them.About 20 PPP supporters from Jafarabad, Balochistan came with chains tied to their necks, hands and feet. They then doused themselves in petrol and were about to light themselves on fire before they were stopped by the police.“We are long-time PPP supporters, but the current government is completely ignoring us,” said Nazar Jan Baloch and Muneer Abro, two of those who had tried to self-immolate. “Instead of listening to our needs, party leaders blamed us for trying to sabotage the rally.”“They are selling jobs for money rather than helping the real diehard PPP supporters,” said one person who attended the rally. Visiting the mausoleum earlier in the day, Prime Minister Gilani tried to address some of those concerns by saying that the matter is being reviewed by the courts, thus making it impossible for the party leadership to discuss the matter.The prime minister tried to dismiss the steady flow of politicians, some from the PPP itself, who are joining the PTI. “It is better that they left,” he said.(Read: Punishing Benazir Bhutto’s killers)Published in The Express Tribune, December 28th, 2011.======================Mocking press conference: PPP’s top cadre served contempt noticesBy Qaiser ZulfiqarPublished: January 4, 2012Senator Babar Awan talking to the media outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday. PHOTO: INPISLAMABAD: Taking action against the ‘contemptuous’ press conference which categorically rejected a Supreme Court decision in the Memogate case, the apex court on Wednesday issued contempt of court notices to Babar Awan and four other Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders, including two sitting ministers.The apex court issued show-cause notices to Awan, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Shah, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan and Adviser to Prime Minister Farooq Awan for addressing the controversial press conference — demanding their replies by January 13. Their replies are expected to explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them after “ridiculing” the court’s decision in the memo case.Earlier, Awan had addressed a press conference at the Press Information Department on December 1, 2011 following the apex court’s decision to form a one-man commission headed by former Federal Investigation Agency Director General Tariq Khosa to probe the case — rejecting its decision and questioning its motives.A two-member bench comprising Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and Justice Muhammad Ather Saeed noted that sufficient on-record material was available which warranted initiation of contempt of court proceedings against those who arranged and addressed the press conference against the apex court’s judicial order.The court demanded Attorney General (AG) Maulvi Anwarul Haq to reveal who were the PPP leaders representing and who had managed the press conference — the government or the party. The AG, however, replied that he had already submitted the prime minister’s reply that the press conference was the stance of the PPP alone.The AG then read out Yousaf Raza Gilani’s reply submitted before the court on December 26 which stated that the content of the press conference was the party’s stance and the government could not even “think” about ridiculing the apex court’s decision.The court had rejected the prime minister’s first reply as “unsatisfactory” and another reply was submitted by Gilani later. “Was challenging the independence, neutrality and impartiality of the court not contempt of court?” Justice Muhammad Ather Saeed asked the AG.Following court orders, the AG also read out contents of the press conference which had “derogatory” remarks against the judiciary. Meanwhile, Justice Ather Saeed observed that the press conference “contemptuously” criticised the order of the court. He said government functionaries had “ridiculed the judiciary in flagrant violation of the dignity of the court”.On December 30, while delivering a verdict on the maintainability of memo case petitions, the chief justice had termed the press conference “contemptuous” and called for its transcript in his chamber.Earlier, speaking at a press conference on December 1, Awan along with Shah, Kaira, Awan and Farooq had criticised the Supreme Court saying that by ordering the probe into the memo issue, it had denied the right of a bipartisan and bicameral parliamentary committee on national security to hold an inquiry into the scandal.Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2012.==============INTERVIEW-Pakistan's former envoy to U.S. caught in web of scandal09 Jan 2012 04:35Source: Reuters // Reuters(Repeats story from Friday, Jan. 6)By Chris Allbritton and Qasim NaumanISLAMABAD, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Pakistan's former envoy to the United States, Husain Haqqani, is no stranger to intrigue. But even he didn't anticipate finding himself effectively imprisoned amid a scandal involving a shady memo, a businessman with unclear motives and allegations of treason.He is caught up in a tense stand-off between Pakistan's civilian leaders and its generals over a memo that accused the army of plotting a coup after the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden last May.Now fearing for his life, he has taken refuge in the opulent hilltop home of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in Islamabad.The scandal broke three months ago when businessman Mansoor Ijaz, writing in a column in the Financial Times, said a senior Pakistani diplomat had asked that the memo be delivered to the U.S. Defense Department for help in reining in the military.Ijaz later identified the diplomat as Haqqani, who was never liked by the military for his strong advocacy of civilian supremacy. No evidence has emerged that the military was plotting a coup and the Pentagon at the time dismissed the memo as not credible.Haqqani returned to Pakistan in November and resigned as ambassador in a bid to end the crisis. He denies that he had anything to do with the memo and says he is fighting the traditional foes of civilian government in Pakistan."Since the 1980s, there are powerful interests within the permanent state apparatus as well as outside who want to control the definition of what it means to be a Pakistani patriot," Haqqani told Reuters on Friday at the prime minister's residence.He avoided naming the powerful Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), but it was clear he considers parts of the military spy agency responsible for his troubles in a scandal that the media has dubbed "memogate".Pakistan's Supreme Court set up a judicial commission last week to investigate the memo, keeping Haqqani nervous.He has some allies still in Washington. Senators Mark Kirk, John McCain and Joe Lieberman issued a joint statement on Thursday decrying his treatment."We are increasingly troubled by Ambassador Haqqani's treatment since he returned home to Pakistan, including the travel ban imposed on him," the senators said."We urge Pakistani authorities to resolve this matter swiftly and consistent with civilian rule of law and to prevent the judicial commission investigating Ambassador Haqqani from becoming a political tool for revenge."CIVIL-MILITARY FRICTION"Memogate" encapsulates the two issues that have troubled Pakistan for decades, and which dominate national debate: the relationship between the military and civilian governments and Pakistan's ties with the United States.Friction between the civilian leadership and the generals has bedevilled the nuclear-armed South Asian country for almost its entire existence, with the military ruling for more than half of its 64-year history after a series of coups.Another takeover could further tarnish the military's public image, which took a battering after the surprise bin Laden operation by U.S. Navy SEALs that was widely seen as an intelligence failure.Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani last month dismissed coup rumours as speculation and said the army supported democracy.Pakistan's relationship with the United States is just as contentious. Anti-Americanism is rampant, and any whiff of collusion with Washington can lead to accusations of treason, which Haqqani has - so far - successfully deflected.But now, the "j'accuse" brigade in the press have grown louder and more visceral, and Haqqani fears for his life should he step outside the prime minister's well-guarded grounds."I'm not a prisoner, I'm a guest. But for all practical purposes, I can't go out, because what if someone shoots me like they did Salman Taseer?" he said.Taseer, the former Punjab governor, was assassinated a year ago on Wednesday by one of his own bodyguards for calling for changes to Pakistan's harsh blasphemy law. His killer, Mumtaz Qadri, was lionised across the country as a hero.Haqqani's former lawyer doubts justice would prevail in any legal proceedings against him. And merely associating with the man who once enjoyed Pakistan's premier diplomatic post is seen as risky."I want to meet my client either in my space, my office, or the court, or somewhere I feel is relatively bug-free," said Asma Jahangir, when she still represented him.She refused to represent Haqqani before the judicial commission, saying it was an overreach by the court and a victory for the security establishment.Haqqani, for his part, spends his days reading and emailing friends. He is ploughing through a massive biography of Tamerlane the Great and Barbara Tuchman's "March of Folly," her opus to nations' relentless pursuit of policy harmful to their interests.Perhaps Tuchman's book has something to say to the man who says Pakistan would best be served by civilian control of the military and better relations with the United States."It's a double-bind," he said. "Civilian-military, U.S.-Pakistan. I'm on the wrong side of both." (Editing by John Chalmers and Ron Popeski)=====================By Arif RanaPublished: January 12, 2012Lt Gen (Retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi (L) was removed from the post of Defence Secretary by Prime minister Gilani. Nargis Sethi (R) has been given the additional charge of Defence Secretary. PHOTO: INPISLAMABAD: Triggering fears and doubts of what may come next, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Wednesday sacked Defence Secretary Lt Gen (retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi for “gross misconduct” – a move that appears to be a tipping point for the ongoing crisis between the civilian and military leadership.But the sacking was not a straightforward affair – and the law division and defence ministry were at loggerheads over the issue. It was the law division’s legal advice to Prime Minister Gilani that resulted in the abrupt sacking.On the face of it, Lodhi was fired for causing what the government called a “misunderstanding” between the prime minister and the top military brass.The sacking came moments after the military denounced the prime minister for accusing it of violating the law by directly responding to the Supreme Court in the Memogate case, bypassing the government and its legal wing.Sources said the law division and defence ministry had a difference in opinion over Lodhi’s move of submitting the statements of army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI chief General Shuja Pasha to the Supreme Court in the Memogate case.Sources added Lodhi had submitted his written reply to Defence Minister Chaudhary Ahmed Mukhtar, last week, explaining his constitutional position in the submission of the replies before the apex court.Lodhi stated that his action was neither a violation of the Constitution nor the rules of business. He cited General Ghazi’s case as a precedent in support of his explanation, wherein the latter submitted the reply of the then army chief to the apex court.“My action of directly submitting the army and ISI chiefs’ reply to the Supreme Court was in line with my duties and authority as defence secretary,” he claimed in his explanatory statement.Mukhtar forwarded Lodhi’s explanation to the prime minister with favorable comments, terming the former secretary’s explanation ‘satisfactory’.However, the prime minister, in turn, forwarded the explanation to the law division for vetting.In its vetting, the law division sharply disagreed with the defence minister and proposed an exemplary disciplinary action, which included Lodhi’s dismissal as defence secretary.Charged over the hard-hitting ISPR response over his interview with Chinese media where he termed the army and ISI chiefs’ direct reply to the SC as ‘illegal’, the prime minister put his foot down and sacked Lodhi as defence secretary. Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi has been handed over additional charge of the powerful post.Lodhi’s dismissal has added to the distrust between Gilani’s cornered government and the armed forces, which is now at an alarming level.Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2012. ================Pakistan Army will refuse to work with Nargis Sethi:reportBy Mirza Hassan - Jan 12th, 2012 (No Comment) 9Islamabad: The Pakistan Army will refuse to work with new Defence Secretary Nargis. Sethi appointed by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani after he fired Naeem Khalid Lodhi, a former general and a confident of army chief , New York Times quoted a source in the army as saying.It said the army would not react violently, but it would not cooperate with the new secretary of defenseGilani replaced Lodhi with a civilian aide Nargis Sethi after accusing the former secretary of “gross misconduct and illegal action” and of “creating misunderstanding between the state institutions.Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has called an emergency meeting of his top commanders today.The newspaper wrote that ordinarily, the defence secretary in Pakistan is appointed with the consent of the army chief and acts as a bridge between the government and the military. It added that the role is more powerful than that of the defence minister, a position filled by a politician from the governing party.The New York Times said the defence secretary’s signature is required for any appointment, or termination, of a member of the military leadership. “By installing a defense secretary of his own choice, Gilani appeared to be seeking greater leverage for his government in dealing with the military,” it added.======================Pakistan president goes to Dubai as split with military widens12 Jan 2012 10:25Source: Reuters // Reuters(Adds newspaper editorials, quote from military officer)* Unclear if Zardari seeking treatment or attending wedding* Tensions between govt and military worst since 1999 coup* Memo scandal straining govt-military relationsBy Chris Allbritton and Amena BakrISLAMABAD/DUBAI, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari flew to Dubai on a scheduled one-day trip on Thursday, a member of the ruling party and sources said, while tensions grew over a memo seeking U.S. help in preventing a coup by Pakistan's powerful military.The crisis has raised fears for the stability of Pakistan, a vital but uneasy ally for the United States in its attempt to fight militancy and bring peace to neighbouring Afghanistan.Relations between Pakistan's civilian government and the military have reached their lowest point since a coup in 1999, reducing the chances that the leadership can take on the country's enormous social and economic challenges.Military sources say that while they would like Zardari to go, it should be through constitutional means, not another of the coups that have marked Pakistan's almost 65 years of independence."There is no talk in the military of a takeover," a mid-level army officer, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, told Reuters."I don't foresee a military coup."The military set a harsher tone on Wednesday, warning of "grievous consequences" after Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani accused the army and spy chiefs of violating the constitution in what has become known as "memogate".The Supreme Court has also threatened the government with contempt proceedings that could lead to the fall of senior officials including the prime minister if it does not take action on long-standing corruption cases against Zardari.Gilani engaged in what some analysts called political adventurism by sacking the defence secretary, a post seen usually as the military's main advocate in the civilian bureaucracy.Gulf-based Pakistani sources said Zardari was making the trip for a medical check-up. "This trip will be for a follow-up medical check-up and then he'll be returning right away," an associate of Zardari said.However, a senior member of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) said Zardari had left Pakistan to attend a wedding in Dubai. Zardari maintains a home in Dubai which serves as a base for his children.No official confirmation of either story was immediately available.Whatever the case, the trip will fuel deep uncertainty about the unpopular president's fate.FAMILIAR FIGHTFor most Pakistanis, the burning issues are crippling power cuts, the fragile economy and poverty, not political intrigue that have at times helped Pakistan earn the title of a failed state."There is complete chaos. But our institutions are busy bringing each other down," said Syed Ali, 23, an engineering student in the city of Lahore."They should stop all this and do their jobs."Zardari went to Dubai for medical treatment last month, triggering speculation that a military take-over in the nuclear-armed South Asian nation was imminent. He returned home a couple of weeks later and has remained defiant.Newspaper editorials were grim, predicting an imminent showdown between the civilian government and a military that is so powerful it sets security and foreign policies."The army is facing a critical situation; it does not want a takeover - and it should not - but it is facing insults from the highest political level," said The News in an editorial titled "Wrong turn".It was referring to Gilani's accusations against the military leadership.Tension has risen between the civilian government and the military, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half its 64-year history, since a memo emerged last October purportedly seeking U.S. help to stave off a military coup.Deepening the crisis, Gilani later sacked the country's top military bureaucrat for unspecified "gross misconduct and illegal action".A senior member of the PPP also warned on Wednesday that both sides appeared to be digging in their heels, although others have played down talk of an imminent showdown.The military drew rare public criticism after al Qaeda head Osama bin Laden was killed in a unilateral cross-border raid by U.S. special forces troops in a garrison town not far from the Pakistani capital last May.The memo scandal emerged several months later when a Pakistani-born businessman wrote in a column in the Financial Times about the existence of a memo seeking help from the Pentagon to rein in the military.Businessman Mansoor Ijaz said a Pakistani diplomat had asked for the memo to be delivered to the Pentagon. He later identified the diplomat as Husain Haqqani, a Zardari ally who was then Pakistan's ambassador in Washington.Haqqani has denied the allegation but has since resigned in a bid to end the scandal, which has resulted in a judicial commission in Pakistan's Supreme Court.Zardari could face impeachment proceedings if that commission finds a link between him and the memo. (Additional reporting by Qasim Nauman in ISLAMABAD, Mubasher Bukhari in LAHORE, and Faisal Aziz in KARACHI; Writing by Paul Tait and Michael Georgy, Editing by Jonathan Thatcher)====================Pakistan president to return from Dubai-foreign ministry12 Jan 2012 18:12Source: Reuters // Reuters(Adds cabinet defence committee meeting)* Efforts to defuse tensions?* Tensions between govt and military worst since 1999 coup* Memo scandal straining govt-military relationsBy Sheree Sardar and Amena BakrISLAMABAD/DUBAI, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari flew to Dubai on Thursday on a personal trip and will return the next day, the foreign ministry said, as tension between the civilian government and the powerful military plunged the country into another crisis.The prime minister has called a meeting of the cabinet's defence committee for Saturday and the army chief will attend, a government official said, in a possible sign of efforts to reduce friction.A disputed memo allegedly seeking U.S. help in reining in Pakistan's powerful military has plunged relations with the government to their lowest point since a coup in 1999.Earlier on Thursday a meeting between army chief General Ashfaq Kayani and his top commanders fueled speculation that the generals, who set security and foreign policies, have lost patience with the government.Senior officers discussed in detail "prevailing conditions," a source told Reuters, highlighting fears for the economic and political stability of Pakistan, a vital but uneasy ally for the United States in its attempt to fight militancy and bring peace to neighbouring Afghanistan.Military sources say that while they would like Zardari to go, it should be through constitutional means, not another of the coups that have marked half of Pakistan's almost 65 years of independence."There is no talk in the military of a takeover," a mid-level army officer, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, told Reuters."I don't foresee a military coup."The military on Wednesday warned of "grievous consequences" after Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani accused the army and spy chiefs of violating the constitution in what has become known as "memogate".The remarks came after Gilani, citing "gross misconduct" sacked the defence secretary, a post seen usually as the military's main advocate in the civilian bureaucracy.The Supreme Court has also threatened the government with contempt proceedings that could lead to the fall of senior officials including the prime minister if it does not take action on long-standing corruption cases against Zardari.Gulf-based Pakistani sources said Zardari made the trip to Dubai, where he maintains a home, for a medical check-up.However, a senior member of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) said Zardari was in Dubai to attend a wedding.No official explanation was made available, fuelling already deep uncertainty about the president's fate.FAMILIAR FIGHTPakistanis, tired of power struggles between civilian and military leaders, want the government to focus on issues such as crippling power cuts, the fragile economy and poverty."There is complete chaos. But our institutions are busy bringing each other down," said Syed Ali, 23, an engineering student in the city of Lahore."They should stop all this and do their jobs."Zardari went to Dubai for medical treatment last month, triggering speculation that a military take-over in the nuclear-armed South Asian nation was imminent. He returned home a couple of weeks later and has remained defiant.Newspaper editorials were grim, predicting an imminent showdown between the civilian government and a military that is so powerful it sets security and foreign policies."The army is facing a critical situation; it does not want a takeover - and it should not - but it is facing insults from the highest political level," said The News in an editorial titled "Wrong turn".A senior member of the PPP also warned on Wednesday that both sides appeared to be digging in their heels, although others have played down talk of an imminent showdown.OSAMA BIN LADEN, MEMOGATEThe military drew rare public criticism after al Qaeda head Osama bin Laden was killed in a unilateral cross-border raid by U.S. special forces troops in a garrison town not far from the Pakistani capital last May.The memo scandal emerged several months later when a Pakistani-born businessman wrote in a column in the Financial Times about the existence of a memo seeking help from the Pentagon to rein in Pakistan's military.Businessman Mansoor Ijaz said a Pakistani diplomat had asked for the memo to be delivered to the Pentagon. He later identified the diplomat as Husain Haqqani, a Zardari ally who was then Pakistan's ambassador in Washington.Haqqani has denied the allegation but has since resigned in a bid to end the scandal, which has resulted in a judicial commission in Pakistan's Supreme Court.Zardari could face impeachment proceedings if that commission finds a link between him and the memo.Zardari was elected in 2008 on the back of a sympathy vote after his charismatic wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated shortly after returning from self-exile the previous year.Criminal cases could also haunt Zardari, who earned the title "Mr. 10 Percent" while Bhutto was in power, based on allegations he demanded kickbacks on state contracts.After his wife's government collapsed in late 1996, he was arrested and charged with corruption, such as kickbacks in deals involving a Swiss company.He was never convicted, but spent the next eight years in jail. Zardari was also jailed on corruption charges between 1990-93.Zardari has denied any wrongdoing and says allegations leveled against him are politically motivated. (Additional reporting by Qasim Nauman and Chris Allbritton in ISLAMABAD, Mubasher Bukhari in LAHORE, and Faisal Aziz in KARACHI; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Ed Lane)==================
Mansoor Ijaz produces phone record to memo tribunal
By Mudasser Aziz - Feb 24th, 2012 (No Comment)
3
Islamabad: Mansoor Ijaz on Friday continued recording his testimony for the third consecutive day before memo commission through video link.
He was recording statement in Pakistan High Commission in London along with his wife as she was granted permission by the commission.
Ijaz presented his phone’s bill before the commission. Bukhari raised objections on the bill and said that it does not have Ijaz’s name or his number.
Ijaz told the commission that the bill could only be shown to the commission’s secretary or the judges in the panel.
He also presented transcripts of the correspondence done with Haqqani over fax.
Pointing out the bills, Ijaz said that total 14 calls were made from his phone, out of which, 11 conference calls were made during May, 2011, between him, General James and Haqqani.
The commission directed Ijaz that call records from his mobile phone company be obtained and e-mailed to the commission.
Ijaz refused to disclose the details of the remaining three calls.
The judicial commission also ordered the commission’s secretary to protect all the records and evidence provided by Ijaz so that it could be handed over to the commission in Pakistan on his return.
He told the commission that ISI chief Let Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha had met him in London’s Park Lane hotel and inquired about his relations with Hussain Haqqani.
He said Pasha told him that he and Gen Kayani wanted democratic government to complete its tenure.
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Appearing before Memogate commission for the last time: Zahid Bukhari
By Web Desk
Published: May 4, 2012
Former ambassador to US Husain Haqqani's lawyer says he has other personal commitments. PHOTO: EXPRESS/ FILE
ISLAMABAD: Zahid Bukhari, lawyer of former ambassador to US Husain Haqqani, said that he is appearing before the Memogate judicial commission for the last time today (Friday) owing to his personal commitments, Express News reported. “As you wish,” was Justice Faez Esa’s reply.
Bukhari, while presenting proof to the commission, said that Haqqani was not forced to resign from his post but had submitted the resignation himself.
He added that according to the statement submitted by former US national security adviser General (r) James Jones, Mansoor Ijaz did not mention Haqqani even once.
Ijaz did not even appear before the parliamentary committee while Haqqani has denied having any connection with the memo, Bukhari maintained.
Justice Esa ordered his assistant to contact Ijaz’s lawyer, Akram Sheikh asking him to present Ijaz’s BlackBerry sets to the commission.
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