Farahnaz Ispahani, wife of former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani. — File photo

KARACHI: Farahnaz Ispahani, media adviser to President Asif Ali Zardari and wife of Pakistan's former ambassador to the United States, has said that she had fled to the US for fear that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) might kidnap her and subsequently force Haqqani to sign a confession in order to implicate President Zardari in the memo scandal.

Ispahani's claims were reported in a Sunday Times article authored by Christina Lamb. The article further alleged that the Pakistani military was "steadily silencing opponents".

The article moreover stated that Haqqani's life was in danger.

"What we're seeing is the systematic killing or silencing of anyone who stands up to the institutionalisation of a militarised Islamist state, who advocates positive relations with the West or stands up for tolerance," Ispahani told The Sunday Times. "I'm scared, even the government can't even protect itself."

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

THE Punjab government would be keen to forget its first year of treating smog as ‘a year-round epidemic’ instead...
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.