WASHINGTON: Ambassador Husain Haqqani is believed to have sent a letter to President Asif Ali Zardari, offering to resign if he is found guilty of writing a letter which has strained relations between the president and the military establishment, sources told Dawn.

A senior diplomatic source, when asked to comment on reports Ambassador Haqqani had sent his resignation to the president, said: “We cannot call it a resignation. He has sent a letter to prove that he is not guilty.”

In his message, the ambassador is believed to have written that he was not responsible for the letter that allegedly sought US support for sacking the ISI and army chiefs. The ambassador offered to resign if proven guilty.

Haqqani left his office at lunch and did not return. Before leaving, he sent an email to dozens of Pakistani journalists, giving details of a news conference he addressed in the morning on ties with US.

Earlier in the day, Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said the government had summoned Ambassador Haqqani to Islamabad to learn more about a letter ‘falsely’ attributed to the president.

In an interview to Voice of America radio, she said the government would hold a probe and “expose all those who are trying to create such misunderstandings”.