Memogate: Commission seeks Haqqani's presence at hearing

The judicial commission probing a mysterious memo that sought United States help to stave off a possible coup has directed the Pakistan government to ensure former envoy Husain Haqqani's presence during a hearing on April 12.

The three-judge commission appointed by the Supreme Court said the interior and foreign ministries should ensure that Haqqani appears before the panel with his BlackBerry sets and relevant materials. Haqqani was forced to resign after American businessman Mansoor Ijaz made the memo public late last year.

The commission also listed four options to bring Haqqani back to Pakistan -- issuing an arrest warrant, registering a criminal case against him, seizing his assets and initiating contempt of court proceedings. However, the panel did not say whether it would act on any of these options.

Haqqani is currently abroad and the commission has turned down his request to adjourn its hearings on the ground that he is unwell and needs to seek treatment in the US.

During Saturday's proceedings, Sohail Khan, the director general (Americas) in the foreign ministry produced Haqqani's contract letter and records of his correspondence while serving as the ambassador to the US.

Akram Sheikh, the lawyer for Mansoor Ijaz, demanded that the commission should seek details of the secret funds of the Pakistani mission that were used by Haqqani. Zahid Bukhari, the counsel for Haqqani, described the demand as unnecessary and irrelevant.

However, the commission directed the director general (Americas) to produce the record of secret funds used by the Pakistani Embassy in Washington during April-December 2011.

After hearing arguments by the lawyers, the commission reiterated its direction to Haqqani to give his consent to Research In Motion regarding the waiver of his privacy rights for retrieving his BlackBerry messages.