Pakistan ambassador sent home
Source: Agencies |
November 21, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
PAKISTAN'S ambassador to the United States returned home yesterday after being summoned to answer questions about his alleged role in a secret memo scandal that could cost him his job.
The controversy centers on a memo sent in May to Admiral Mike Mullen, the top US military official at the time, asking for his help in reining in Pakistan's powerful military after the covert American raid that killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison town.
Mansoor Ijaz, a US citizen of Pakistani origin, has claimed Ambassador Husain Haqqani orchestrated the memo, which was published in the media and did not include an author's name. The document has shocked many Pakistanis because it offered to replace Pakistan's national security hierarchy with people favorable to Washington in exchange for help.
Haqqani has denied the allegations but has offered his resignation to end the controversy. He is expected to meet with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and other senior officials to explain his position on the scandal.
Ijaz has claimed Haqqani told him Zardari approved the secret memo, an explosive allegation that could roil Pakistan's political system if proved true. The president has denied the claim.
Some commentators have called for those involved in the scandal to be tried for treason.
The memo has fueled politically toxic charges that the government is colluding with the US against the interests of Pakistan and its army. The memo accuses Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani of plotting to bring down the government in the aftermath of the bin Laden's assassination on May 2. It asks Mullen for his "direct intervention" with Kayani to stop this.
The bin Laden raid sparked outrage at the US because the Pakistani government was not told about it beforehand. It also generated domestic criticism of the Pakistani military for not being able to stop US commandos sneaking into the country.
Some analysts have questioned Ijaz's credibility and suggested the affair is a conspiracy cooked up by the Pakistan military to embarrass the government or remove Haqqani.
The controversy centers on a memo sent in May to Admiral Mike Mullen, the top US military official at the time, asking for his help in reining in Pakistan's powerful military after the covert American raid that killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison town.
Mansoor Ijaz, a US citizen of Pakistani origin, has claimed Ambassador Husain Haqqani orchestrated the memo, which was published in the media and did not include an author's name. The document has shocked many Pakistanis because it offered to replace Pakistan's national security hierarchy with people favorable to Washington in exchange for help.
Haqqani has denied the allegations but has offered his resignation to end the controversy. He is expected to meet with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and other senior officials to explain his position on the scandal.
Ijaz has claimed Haqqani told him Zardari approved the secret memo, an explosive allegation that could roil Pakistan's political system if proved true. The president has denied the claim.
Some commentators have called for those involved in the scandal to be tried for treason.
The memo has fueled politically toxic charges that the government is colluding with the US against the interests of Pakistan and its army. The memo accuses Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani of plotting to bring down the government in the aftermath of the bin Laden's assassination on May 2. It asks Mullen for his "direct intervention" with Kayani to stop this.
The bin Laden raid sparked outrage at the US because the Pakistani government was not told about it beforehand. It also generated domestic criticism of the Pakistani military for not being able to stop US commandos sneaking into the country.
Some analysts have questioned Ijaz's credibility and suggested the affair is a conspiracy cooked up by the Pakistan military to embarrass the government or remove Haqqani.
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