Daily Times

This is probably the biggest scandal of President Zardari’s tenure, and it seems to have claimed its first ‘victim’. A controversy so intriguing it has been termed ‘Memogate’ after the infamous Watergate fiasco that ousted President Nixon from the White House in 1974, so far it has pushed Husain Haqqani out of his ambassadorship. Replacing him, with immediate effect, is Sherry Rehman, a prominent PPP leader and MNA. Everybody speculated that heads were bound to roll — there is one down, how many more to go?

Suffice it to say that the quick removal of our man in Washington does seem a tad premature. Husain Haqqani reached Pakistan a mere two days ago after which he was summoned before a high profile meeting of the country’s top officials from President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani, Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Kayani to Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Ahmad Shuja Pasha. It was in this meeting that the resignation was ‘accepted’ according to Haqqani and ‘demanded’ according to the PM. Two days really do not seem to be enough time to investigate thoroughly and reach a logical decision about the fate of the ambassador. It is because of this rapid conclusion to Haqqani’s role in the entire fiasco that one cannot help but speculate that maybe he has been made a scapegoat in the entire affair. It goes without saying that a proper probe into the matter after Haqqani’s arrival in Pakistan would have been the appropriate course. Only after a deeper look into the entire matter could responsibility have been determined, after which the ambassador could have been asked to resign or continue. The speed with which the whole affair has been dealt with leaves the lingering suspicion that Mr Haqqani’s offer to fall on his own sword was accepted, probably to stop further damage and prevent the affair taking into its fold other powerful actors.

Islamabad has been quick to name its new envoy to the US. Sherry Rehman has been part of the PPP for many years now and last served as the country’s information minister. Despite having had disagreements with the PPP leadership in the past over the reinstatement of the deposed judiciary and media handling, it seems that is all water under the bridge now as the lady is ready to take over where Haqqani left off. However, it may not all be a bed of roses. The Pakistan-US relationship is at an all-time fragile point. After the Osama bin Laden operation, the relationship came close to breaking downm, with both countries showing hostile resilience. The Pakistani military and ISI have been showing more keen interest, and even assertiveness, in how the Pak-US relationship ought to play out. It is no secret that Haqqani was not popular with the military and ISI because of his stance on issues such as the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Act when he was accused of advocating the insertion of clauses asserting civilian supremacy over the military. Now that he is no longer a thorn in the military’s side, one wonders at the kind of role Ms Rehman will play in the relationship between the two countries. Will she have Pakistan’s civilian interests at heart or will she have to take into account the military and ISI’s views on how to tackle relations with the global superpower? The difference between the two is a huge one and represents on the one hand the democratic dispensation and on the other narrow-minded interests and policies. Only time will tell but the time, it seems, has handed one man an unfair denouement.*