Hussain Haqqani faces threats to life: ICJ
26 January, 2012
GENEVA: The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) on Wednesday expressed concern over the "infringement of rights" of former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani. Haqqani has been embroiled in a political and judicial conflict stemming from a leaked political memorandum that he was alleged to have authored, only a few days after Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed by US military forces. "Husain Haqqani faced a vicious media trial following which the Supreme Court of Pakistan [ruling], on a petition, debarred him from travelling abroad, despite the fact that he has not been charged with any crime," said Sheila Varadan, international legal adviser at the ICJ Asia-Pacific Regional Office. "Husain Haqqani continues to receive threats and has been painted as disloyal to the country. There is, though, no proof of any betrayal of his duties as an ambassador of Pakistan to the United States." His counsel, Asma Jahangir, confirmed that Husain Haqqani is under threat and has taken refuge in the compound of Prime Minister's House. The leaked memo, delivered in May last year, was said to contain promises of greater cooperation with the Americans in counter-terrorism operations from the Pakistani government in exchange for support from the United States to subvert a potential military coup d'état. Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz leaked news of the memo to the media in early October 2011. Husain Haqqani was recalled to Islamabad and he resigned from his post as Pakistan ambassador in November 2011. The PPP-led government denied allegations of involvement in the memo scandal and a parliamentary commission of inquiry was set up on December 21, 2011, to investigate the matter. A few days later, the Supreme Court of Pakistan established its own commission of inquiry. "We are calling on the Pakistani authorities to respect Husain Haqqani's right to be presumed innocent and to remove the restriction on his right to leave the country and any other restrictions on his right to freedom of movement," said Sheila Varadan. "They must also ensure his personal safety at all times and respect his right to a fair and impartial hearing throughout the Inquiry process." Mansoor Ijaz, the central character in the memo scandal, did not submit his statement to Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS), which met on Tuesday to discuss the controversy. Earlier on Monday, he refused to come to Pakistan to testify before a judicial commission probing the memo controversy because of "security threats". End.
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