Former ambassador of Pakistan to the US, Hussain Haqqani, has declined to appear before Judicial Commission investigating the memo case and requested the Supreme Court of Pakistan to allow him to record his statement in the UK. Haqqani submitted a petition filed by Supreme Court Lawyer Asma Jahangir on Saturday. Though his petition, he sought additional time to travel to Pakistan for the purpose of his cross-examination by the counsel for Ijaz Mansoor.
The judicial commission in its directive on March 18 asked Haqqani to appear before the commission personally. Haqqani had submitted an undertaking to apex court and made commitment to appear before the commission on need basis. Haqqani's counsel Sajid Tanoli told Business Recorder that his client pleaded before Supreme Court of Pakistan to provide him equal treatment as being provided to Ijaz Mansoor. In the petition, Haqqani had made some reservations regarding his security and prayed to the commission to record his statement through video conferencing in a manner earlier adopted in the case of Mansoor Ijaz.
Tanoli further said Haqqani claimed he had life threat in Pakistan as "Mansoor had developed his close contacts with security agencies of the world." Hence, he could not appear before the Memo Commission at Islamabad High Court in Pakistan. Haqqani sought more time to appear before the commission as he was working in the US and prior permission of his employer is necessary.