Husain Haqqani

Published February 2, 2012

Introduction: Husain Haqqani is the former Pakistan ambassador to the US. He has served as an advisor to three prime ministers of Pakistan.

Career History: Husain Haqqani was born in 1956 and served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States. He hails from a conservative but educated family which resided in Malir, Karachi. He always had a flair for journalism and started writing in high school. He was a voracious reader and read volumes of American history by frequenting American consulate’s library. Later when students organised a protest to vandalise the same library, Haqqani refused to be an accomplice.

As an ambassador, his policies remained unambiguous because he linked the security problems with economic ones. According to him Pakistan and US relations have gone up and down like a yoyo primarily because of the lack of strategic direction and US’ failure to understand Pakistan’s perspective.

On November 17, 2011 Mansoor Ijaz accused Haqqani of writing a controversial memo to Adm Mike Mullen, requesting the US to intervene in changing Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies. Haqqani denied the allegations and resigned from his position as an ambassador.

Currently he is defending charges against treason in the Supreme Court of Pakistan; however the court lifted his travel restriction on January 30, 2012. Haqqani is currently in USA.

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