Raftar
FULL MEMBER
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2011
- Messages
- 324
- Reaction score
- 0
ISLAMABAD: Mansoor Ijaz, the man who set off the memo scandal in October, made a much-awaited testimony on Wednesday before the commission constituted by the Supreme Court.
Testifying through video link from London, Ijaz said he had delivered a secret memo to then US joint chiefs of staff enlisting Washington’s help to pre-empt a feared coup against the government in Islamabad on the request of Husain Haqqani, the former ambassador to the United States, who “told me it is from the President (Asif Zardari).
The commission comprised Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Sindh High Court Chief Justice Musheer Alam and Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman.
“I asked (Haqqani) on whose authority he is doing this?” Ijaz said.
“He (Haqqani) said this is from the president of Pakistan who wants to form a national security team similar to the one in USA,” he added.
Ijaz told the commission that he drafted the memo after Haqqani gave him notes and requested that it should be delivered to Admiral Mike Mullen.
The memo was delivered on May 10, one week after the assassination of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad by a US Navy squad.
He said Haqqani called him on May 9 and said the army was thinking of removing the civilian government.
“The army wants to topple our government,” Ijaz quoted Haqqani as saying.
He said Haqqani asked him to convey this apprehension to Admiral Mullen and request him to ask Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to step down.
Ijaz claimed that Haqqani had given him points to be communicated to Mike Mullen, which included assurances on giving the US administration the choice of selecting members of a commission to probe Osama’s presence in Abbottabad.
The envoy also offered that if Gen Kayani stepped down, Islamabad would help Washington in locating other bad guys and “we also commit American boots on the ground”, the American businessman of Pakistan origin said.
“He (Haqqani) further offered that Pakistan would agree on an additional discipline as regard to the nuclear programme,” Ijaz said.
Ijaz told the commission that Mr Haqqani was in touch with him through BBM and cellphone.
Mr Haqqani insisted that a new thinking was emerging in Pakistan and like-minded people like former army chief Gen Jahangir Karamat and Gen Mehmud Ali Durrani wanted to reconstruct relationship with the US. The like-minded people would be included in the new set-up.
Mr Ijaz said Mr Haqqani told him that President Zardari was issuing directions to him for setting up a national security team similar to the US national security organisation.
He said that in return for the removal of General Kayani, Mr Haqqani offered elimination of section ‘S’ of Inter Services Intelligence, assisting in locating bad guys like Mullah Omar and Aiman Al-Zawahiri, committed more US boots on the Pakistani soil, access to three wives of Osama bin Laden and cooperation in investigation into the Mumbai terror attacks.
Due to sensitivity of the matter Mr Haqqani suggested code word — ‘Ispahani’ (the name of his wife) for the US administration and ‘friend’ for the Pakistani government — for their communication.
Mr Ijaz claimed that in subsequent messages the word ‘friend’ was referred to the president. He said Mr Haqqani had requested him to keep the matter secret from the ISI and army.
He said initially Gen James Jones, former US national security adviser, had refused to deliver the memo to Admiral Mike Mullen but later agreed when Mr Haqqani also agreed for keeping the memo written rather than verbal.
http://www.dawn.com/2012/02/23/ijaz...-haqqani-sought-us-help-for-coas-removal.html
RAZ bhai ki kehndey hoo ZARDARIte nas geya jey fir DUBAI 
