Petitioner wants Pasha to stand in for Pakistani Ijaz

The Pakistani judicial commission investigating the memo scandal has been petitioned by a top lawyer to summon Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha if key witness Mansoor Ijaz fails to record his statement before the panel.

Lawyer Zafarullah Khan said in a petition filed on Saturday that Pakistani-American businessman Ijaz, who made the mysterious memo public, had failed to appear before the commission on two occasions. “This reflects that Mr Ijaz is reluctant to appear whereas the commission has guaranteed security for his life from all related departments in Pakistan,” Khan said. He requested the commission to close Ijaz’s right to record his statement, saying he was deliberately wasting the time of the whole country.

Khan noted that the ISI chief could depose before the commission regarding the memo as Pasha had met Ijaz in London on October 22 last year to gather information against the then Pakistan ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani, the alleged author of the memo.

“Therefore, the ISI chief should be summoned to depose the facts conveyed to him by Mansoor Ijaz,” Khan said.

The three-judge commission appointed by the Supreme Court has given Ijaz a final opportunity to depose on February 9.

Meanwhile, a parliamentary panel investigating the memo scandal too has summoned Ijaz on February 10. Ijaz has refused to come to Pakistan, citing security concerns  despite the government’s assurance that he will be provided complete security.

Though the judicial commission turned down Ijaz’s earlier request to be allowed to depose in London or Zurich, his lawyer filed a fresh application yesterday that said he should be allowed to record his statement outside Pakistan.