ISLAMABAD, April 4: A day before the memo commission’s meeting, former ambassador Husain Haqqani expressed his inability on Wednesday to appear before it on medical and legal grounds.

Mr Haqqani sent an application through his counsel Zahid Hussain Bokhari to the commission comprising Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, SHC Chief Justice Musheer Alam and Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman.

The commission is investigating the origin and purpose of the memorandum allegedly written by Mr Haqqani to former US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen to pre-empt a military takeover in Pakistan.

Mr Haqqani requested the commission to adjourn the proceedings because he had been a cardiac patient for three years and was currently under treatment for chest pain at the Advanced Cardiology Centre. “The applicant is scheduled for an MRI/CT (scan) at the National Institute of Health in the United States on April 4, 2012, and (has) also provided a copy of the medical certificate to the commission. The doctors have found him to have symptoms of crescendo angina and advised thorough investigation and tests,” the application said.

It said Mr Haqqani’s earlier application seeking recording of his testimony via video link was still pending before the Supreme Court which had adjourned the matter without deciding its fate.

“The applicant is going through a potentially serious medical condition and the aforementioned application is yet to be decided by the Supreme Court. It is fair to adjourn the proceedings...,” the application added.