Haqqani claims about role vindicated security forces: ISPR
Haqqani claims about role vindicated security forces: ISPR
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ISLAMABAD: Army broke its silence on the controversy triggered by Pakistan’s former ambassador’s revelations on the issuance of visas to CIA operatives, saying Hussain Haqqani’s article vindicated the position of the country’s state institutions.

ISLAMABAD: Army broke its silence on the controversy triggered by Pakistan’s former ambassador’s revelations on the issuance of visas to CIA operatives, saying Hussain Haqqani’s article vindicated the position of the country’s state institutions.

“Views of Hussain Haqqani published in a mainstream US newspaper, especially his account on issue of visas vindicate stance of Pakistan state institutions,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday.

Haqqani, in an article for The Washington Post earlier this month admitted facilitating the stationing of American special operations and intelligence personnel on Pakistani soil. Similarly, classified documents revealed the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government had at the highest official level allowed Haqqani to issue visas to American nationals, bypassing all security protocols.

The security forces have maintained all along that the envoy could not have worked alone, without keeping the civilian government in the loop.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz in his policy speech before the Senate indicated that the interior ministry, through a letter dated July 16, 2010, had allowed Haqqani to issue diplomatic visas to American nationals without referring their cases to the ministry or security agencies for clearance.

As many as 2,487 visas had been issued between July and December that year, amounting to a 50 per cent increase over figures for previous six months. This figure was all-time high against data for the previous three years.

The PPP, which was in power back then, however, fiercely defended the move.

Senator Farhatulllah Babar said although Haqqani was empowered by the prime minister to issue visas, it did not mean that due process within the Embassy, involving representatives of other relevant departments, had been circumvented.

Likewise, Yousuf Raza Gilani said that he had never allowed Haqqani to issue visas to members of the US special forces.

“The envoy had only been allowed to issue visas conditionally,” Gilani told reporters in Multan last week. “Empowering any ambassador did not imply he could resort to illegal means [during the conduct of his services],” he said.

Although, the ISPR statement did not elaborate further, the emphasis on vindication of Pakistan state institutions’ stance appears to refer to the ‘memogate.’

The controversy revolves around a memorandum addressed to Admiral Mike Mullen ostensibly seeking help of the Obama administration in the wake of the Osama bin Laden raid to avert a military takeover of the civilian government in Pakistan, as well as assisting the government to take over military apparatus.

Haqqani was removed from his post in November 2011 after being accused of hatching a conspiracy to undermine the then military leadership.