ISLAMABAD: Expressing satisfaction with the security arrangements planned for US national Mansoor Ijaz, the prime witness in the memo case, the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) on Thursday decided to provide Ijaz another opportunity to appear before the committee in its next meeting scheduled for February 10.
The memo commission has already asked Ijaz to appear before it on February 9 after the government assured appropriate security arrangements for the US national, who has claimed of being threatened by government officials. Briefing reporters on the proceedings of the committee, Senator Raza Rabbani said the committee felt that the security arrangements for Ijaz were apparently adequate. He said the committee had decided to provide another opportunity to Ijaz to justify his stance in the memo case.
Rabbani said the committee had yet not received any response from either Ijaz or his counsel, though he had been asked to submit a response by Thursday. Inter-Services Intelligence Director General Lt General Ahmed Shuja Pasha and former envoy to the United States Husain Haqqani have already submitted their replies to the committee.Rabbani said the committee had directed authorities to send another notice to Ijaz through the Foreign Office, while the secretary of memo commission would also be directed to convey the notice when he would receive Ijaz on airport upon his arrival.
Asked what would be the future course of action by the committee if Ijaz failed to appear before it, Rabbani said in such a case, the committee would finalise its recommendations in the memo case and hand them over to the authorities concerned. However, he did not make it clear whether the parliament or the prime minister would be forwarded the committee’s recommendations. The meeting, chaired by Senator Raza Rabbani, was given a detailed briefing by Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq on the security arrangements for Mansoor Ijaz.
Haq also shared the documents regarding the government’s communication with the Blackberry company, Research in Motion (RIM), for provision of data of communication between former ambassador Hussain Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz. Notices were issued to Ijaz on Thursday through the Foreign Office, asking him to appear before the commission on February 10 to justify his position. The committee had earlier issued notice to Ijaz to submit his reply by Thursday, January 26, but no reply was received. – PT
