Shujaat comes to Zardari’s rescue

BAHAWALPUR: Chief of the Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Saturday defended the Presidency in the latest ‘memogate’ scandal by saying that President Asif Ali Zardari had not written any secret memo to former US admiral Mike Mullen.

“President Zardari is not a child that he would direct Hussain Haqqani to write a memo to Mullen,” Hussain told media representatives.

He also targeted the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) for what he said was the employment of “cheap tactics for political gains” and said that Nawaz Sharif’s campaign against the president had failed.

Speaking regarding the upcoming elections, Hussain said the present government would complete its term and elections would be held on time.

He said his party would go into seat adjustment with the Pakistan People’s Party.

Hussain also advocated the carving out of new provinces and said new provinces should be created.

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Govt not pursuing treason case against Husain Haqqani: Malik

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday said that the government was not planning to pursue a case of treason against Husain Haqqani, FTNews reported.

Haqqani has been accused of being behind an explosive memo that asked for Washington’s help in reining in the Pakistani military. He denies the charge.

Speaking to media representatives in Islamabad, Malik said “only an exchange of blackberry messages has surfaced in this case…it would have to be assessed as to who initiated this exchange of messages”.

He further said that the government was continuing its probe into the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto and that all those involved in the conspiracy would be exposed.

Regarding the Mumbai attacks case, Malik said Pakistan had written and dispatched a letter to the Indian government regarding a judicial commission.

He said the commission would travel to India once the Indian government communicates a response in this regard.

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Husain Haqqani leaves for Islamabad

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani has departed for Islamabad, FTNews reported.

Haqqani is expected to answer allegations he wrote an explosive memo that asked for Washington’s help in reining in the Pakistani military.

Pakistan’s civilian government has been facing a crisis following a claim by Mansoor Ijaz, a US citizen of Pakistani origin, that he delivered a memo to then-US military chief Adm. Mike Mullen a week after the US raid killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.

The memo allegedly requests US help in installing a ”new security team” in Islamabad friendly to Washington.

Ijaz says that the ambassador, Husain Haqqani, was behind the memo.

Haqqani, who denies he was behind the memo, tweeted on Saturday he was heading to the ”motherland”. Officials confirmed his return.

Haqqani also met with US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman before departing for Islamabad.

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Information minister of Sindh resigns

KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon resigned from the provincial cabinet on Friday after meeting President Asif Ali Zardari.

A day earlier, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had objected to Mr Memon’s journey to London along with former home minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza.

Although the outgoing minister termed his move voluntary, sources close to the Sindh government saw it as the result of a recent meeting held by MQM’s leaders with President Zardari after Dr Mirza took off for London to meet Scotland Yard officials investigating the murder of Dr Imran Farooq.

“My ministry belongs to the party,” Mr Memon told FTNews in a brief response. “I have voluntarily offered to resign and forwarded my resignation to President Zardari because I believe that I should no more hold the office if I have been a source of embarrassment to the party. Ministries have never been a charm for a true political worker.”

Mr Memon denied that he had been asked to resign, adding he had been summoned to meet President Zardari only to explain the ‘situation that emerged’ during the past few days.

Only on Monday, a provincial minister said to be close to Dr Mirza lost his portfolio when the chief minister allocated the jail department to Law Minister Ayaz Soomro.

A senior PPP leader said the recent moves were in line with Mr Zardari’s ‘reconciliation policy’, refusing to rule out Mr Memon having resigned to fulfill MQM’s demand.

“A message has been conveyed well to every member of the cabinet and parliament from the party. If someone deviates from the policy of reconciliation or becomes a source of tension between the two parties, he may face the same fate,” he added.

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NRO case: Babar to represent govt

ISLAMABAD: Former law minister Babar Awan will be representing the federal government in the politically explosive review petition against the NRO judgment which a full-court of the Supreme Court – comprising all the 17 judges – will be hearing on Monday next.

Advocate Muhammad Ramzan Chaudhry told reporters on Friday that Dr Awan had been officially nominated to plead the government’s point of view before the apex court in the pending plea moved by the government to seek review of the court’s judgment holding illegal the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

Dr Awan, who is already representing the government in the presidential reference on reopening of Z.A. Bhutto’s trial, is likely to file an application before the apex court on Saturday seeking permission to represent the government in the NRO case as well.

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