ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday heard the memo case, DawnNews reported.
A nine-judge bench, headed by Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, heard the case on the controversy after the Memo Commission held that Pakistan's former ambassador to US Husain Haqqani was the architect of the memo sent to former US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen seeking US intervention to avert a possible overthrow of the government by the military.
During the hearing, petitioner Barrister Zafarullah said Haqqani was still in the United States and had not returned to Pakistan to appear before the bench despite being summoned.
Moreover, the court inquired Haqqani's counsel Asma Jahangir as to why her client had not appeared for the hearing.
Asma said the court's directives had been delivered to Haqqani, adding that her client's life was in "grave danger".
My client has not said that he would not return to Pakistan but he has certain reservations, Asma said.The counsel should request the government and not the court to provide security to Haqqani, Justice Tariq Pervez said.
"Haqqani was being provided security when he was useful...we contacted the government regarding his security but have not been given a reply," Asma said.
She moreover said she had received a letter from Haqqani which she later read out to the court.
The letter said that sections of the media had portrayed Haqqani as a turncoat and that PTI chairman Imran Khan and Sheikh Rasheed had labelled him as a traitor to the country.
On that, Justice Pervez inquired as to why the counsel was making public the correspondence between herself and her client.
Making this letter public is what my client wants, Asma told the bench.
Asma moreover requested the court to review its directive of summoning Haqqani in the given circumstances.
Allowing Haqqani three days to file an application for exemption from appearing before the court, the bench adjourned the hearing to an unspecified date.
Earlier on June 29, the court had asked Haqqani and US businessman of Pakistani origin Mansoor Ijaz, a central character in the scandal, to appear before it on Thursday.
“I will not risk my life until the circumstances that have put my life in jeopardy have changed,” Haqqani said in the letter addressed to the Supreme Court.
