PML-N leader moves SC for treason case against Zardari, Gilani, Haqqani

Author: Syed Sabeehul Hussnain

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Zafar Ali Shah on Wednesday filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking initiation of a high treason case against former president Asif Zardari, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani over violation of their oaths.

The federation, Defence Ministry, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Interior Ministry, Zardari, Gilani and Haqqani have been made respondents.

Meanwhile, the Watan Party also moved an application in the SC seeking directions to bring Haqqani back to Pakistan through Interpol and make him join memogate proceedings.

Separately, speaking at the National Assembly, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif urged the speaker to form a parliamentary commission to probe revelations made by Haqqani.

He said that opposition wanted to get rid of the issue by terming Haqqani a ‘traitor’. He said thousands of Americans were given visas without informing intelligence agencies.

Haqqani claimed that Pakistan allowed CIA operatives on its soil to track down Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. Haqqani alleged that the PPP government had given visas to the CIA operatives so that they could hunt Osama bin Laden, and it eventually led to the killing of the most feared terrorist on May 2, 2011.

The minister said Haqqani in his article added that the PPP government had not informed the army over these developments. Over a point of order, the minister said Haqqani had named Zardari and Gilani in his article. “The matter is not that simple,” he maintained.

“Not only this article but also the issuance of visas and issue of unsuitable expenses worth $6 million for which no track was found, needed proper investigation,” the minister said.

The minister said, “The issues mentioned in the article haunt us time and again as Haqqani also claimed that different happenings like covert operations and killing of innocent Pakistanis were also connected to then interior minister Rehman Malik.”

“The issue is a matter of national security and should be discussed with the media present,” Asif added.

He added, “This is not the first time Haqqani has targeted our national security; however, it is the first time that he has named Zardari and Gilani in such a case.”