Concerning Mansoor Ijaz’s role in the Memogate scandal, several important questions have been raised: what is his real identity, where do his loyalties lie and what are his motives? Considered a man with dubious ambitions, his implausible and dishonest reputation precedes him and is reflected through his own confessions of having been involved in shady business many a time in the past. The fact that despite affirming the authenticity of the memo and acknowledging the sensitivity of the matter, he went ahead and published an op-ed piece in the Financial Times about it makes his role in this whole fiasco even more questionable. He has since then been shifting ground with fluctuating statements and contradictory claims that have caused an enormous crisis in the country. Therefore, his credibility is open to question and anything he says should be taken with a huge pinch of salt. As the inquiries and court proceedings regarding the curious case of the unsigned memo are underway, the setting of the country’s political landscape is becoming edgier by the day. With the army, government and Mansoor Ijaz having submitted their statements in the Supreme Court, new details emerge and more assertions are made. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Kayani has stated that there was sufficient and ‘satisfactory’ evidence to corroborate the authenticity of the memo and the exchange of text messages and phone calls between Mansoor Ijaz and ex-Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani. He was also of the view that the memo was a conspiracy against the army and the national security of Pakistan. The federation on the other hand considers the memo a conspiracy against the president and parliament, denies any link to the memo and has challenged the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in taking up such a political matter, which falls within the purview of the executive and parliament. Last but not the least, Mansoor Ijaz has said that he has shared all evidence and proofs with the ISI chief Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shuja Pasha during their meeting in London. He has also confirmed his claims that the ISI chief had been travelling to some Arab countries holding discussions regarding the likelihood of a coup and seeking their support to oust President Zardari. The reports of this claim have led the Awami National Party (ANP) MNA Bushra Gohar and the PML-N to call for the ISI chief to resign and face an inquiry based on the allegations levelled against him and to prove that they are untrue. It is to be asked of General Kayani that if all of Mansoor Ijaz’s previous claims are taken as gospel truth — as his statements on the matter suggest — then why have his subsequent claims about General Pasha taking on board the Arab countries to overthrow the elected president and government of Pakistan not been taken seriously? The fallout from this rickety scenario is not only going to bring all the institutions of the state into conflict and possible disrepute but is going to create further ripples, thus straining the already tense civil-military relations. Considering that the case is sub judice, with the depositions submitted by Kayani, the government and Mansoor Ijaz, the court in its wisdom must decide how it wants to pursue it. As this is a political issue, the appropriate forum however would be for the Parliamentary Committee on National Security to conduct an independent inquiry into Memogate and get to the bottom of it before it brings all the state institutions at loggerheads with each other.*