Mansoor Ijaz derides judicial commission: Zahid Bukhari

Mansoor Ijaz derides judicial commission: Zahid Bukhari

Zahid Hussain Bukhari, the outspoken counsel of Hussain Haqqani, has said Mansoor Ijaz, the Pakistani-origin American business tycoon, ridiculed the judicial commission by not appearing before it despite promising twice.

Before appearing the commission, constituted by the Supreme Court to investigate the infamous memogate scandal, the counsel was of the opinion that there was no justification in recording Mansoor Ijaz’s statement abroad.

He told the media that he would pray before the commission to take away his right to testify.

Bukhari went on to say that he will approach the apex court if not satisfied with the judicial panel.

On Monday, Hussain Haqqani, the former ambassador to US, also hit back at Mansoor Ijaz, saying that the US-based businessman’s right to record a statement be taken away if he fails to appear before panel on the promised date.

Akram Sheikh, the counsel of Mansoor Ijaz, earlier on Monday, announced that his client had expressed concerns over the security arrangements made for him and had requested the panel to record his statement abroad, whether in Zurich or London.

Hussain Haqqani is caught in a tense stand-off between the army and the government over a memogate that accused the army of plotting a coup after the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden in garrison city of Abbottabad.

It is vital to mention here that problems have been increasing for commission to probe the matter as Mansoor Ijaz, the key witness of the case, is changing his statements abruptly. The commission was given only four weeks to complete the probe.

Justice Qazi Faez Isa during the hearing inquired why Ijaz was not coming to Pakistan. Akram Sheikh, the counsel told the panel in reply that Mansoor Ijaz wants to bring all proofs to the court but the interior ministry, particularly Rehman Malik, has threatened to put Ijaz on the Exit Control List in the country.

The counsel of Mansoor Ijaz stated that the military should be the focal point of his client’s security in Pakistan.

Earlier, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani winnowed out the option of providing army for Ijaz’s security, saying that the government will not spend billions of rupees on the security of a dishonest person.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Jan 24 2012. Filed under National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.