Memogate Case: SC gives 30 days' deadline to bring back Hussain Haqqani

ISLAMABAD: A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar ordered government authorities on Wednesday to take steps to bring Hussain Haqqani back to Pakistan within 30 days.

Haqqani, a former Pakistan ambassador to Washington, has been wanted in Memogate scandal case.

Federal secretaries of Interior and Foreign Affairs appeared before the court in the case hearing today.

Director General of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Bashir Ahmed Memon, who also appeared in the court hearing today, said that the judicial magistrate had handed the FIA the arrest warrants that were issued by the court earlier. He also assured the court that the warrants will be sent to Haqqani’s residence in Karachi and Washington.

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar warned that the court will not accept any excuse after the deadline has passed. Director General FIA told the CJP that the FIA had to follow a procedure in order to issue red warrants.

Memogate Scandal

In 2012, a judicial body had investigated the Memogate scandal and submitted its report to the apex court, holding Haqqani guilty of authoring an explosive memo and termed his acts disloyalty to the country.

Haqqani is alleged to have written a memo to Adm. Mike Mullen, the top US military officer at the time, offering greater government cooperation in return for helping avert possible dismissal of the civilian government in the wake of the May 2 raid in year 2012, which led to the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden.