Ambassador Haqqani resigns on memo issue
233 viewsBy jazbablog - Tue Nov 22, 10:37 pm
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday.
Haqqani tweeted from his twitter account that he requested PM Gilani to accept his resignation for the sake of democracy.
“I have requested PM Gilani to accept my resignation as Pakistan Ambasssador to US”, he said.
In a subsequent tweet he said that he still had a lot to contribute in building a new Pakistan.
President Zardari, Premier Gilani, Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI DG Shuja Pasha attended the grilling session that lasted for hours.
Reports said Haqqani was questioned about every aspect of the memo scandal. The questions asked were prepared by the military top brass at a high-level meeting on Monday, sources said.
Addressing the media after the questioning at the President House, Hussain Haqqani said that he has tendered his resignation as he doesn’t want to be a stumbling block to the continuation of democracy in the country.
Reports added that his resignation has been accepted. However, official account in this regard is yet to come.
The relevant companies would be contacted regarding Blackberry and computer record of Haqqani as part of inquiry against him, reports reveled.
Earlier, a memo was published online by foreign newspapers, which was allegedly conveyed to Mullen by Pakistan’s ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani a week after the Osama bin Laden raid in May, was reportedly sent by President Zardari who at the time feared a military takeover in Pakistan.
The memo allegedly refers to “a dangerous devolution of the ground situation in Islamabad where no control appears to be in place”. It adds that if the military does take over, Pakistan may “become a sanctuary for Osama bin Laden’s legacy and potentially the platform for far more rapid spread of al Qaeda’s brand of fanaticism and terror”.
Haqqani, who has served as Pakistan’s representative to the US since 2008, denied that he had either drafted or delivered any memo. Referring to Mansoor Ijaz indirectly, the Ambassador said, “There are many businessmen in this world who claim to have a role in a country’s affairs, but they are not given importance. In Pakistan, however, one man’s claims create a crisis.”
