‘Memogate’ aimed at sowing seeds of discord: Pak envoy

Envoy Husain Haqqani is in midst of a storm since a Pak-American businessman made the memo public.

Pakistan’s envoy to the US Husain Haqqani,at the centre of a controversy over a secret memo allegedly sent to the Obama administration,has said he believes the issue was raised to pit the civilian and military leadership here against each other and sow seeds of discord.

Haqqani has been in the midst of a storm since Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz made the memo public.

Ijaz has claimed he drafted the memo on Haqqani’s instructions and delivered it through former US National Security Advisor Jim Jones to the then American military chief Admiral Mike Mullen in May.

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Insisting that he had played no role in drafting the memo,Haqqani said: “His (Ijaz’s) entire harangue is aimed at pitting the civil and military administrations against each other and sowing the seeds of discord.”

Haqqani told The News daily that he had worked hard to cultivate better Pakistan-US relations and was prepared to undergo any investigation and face any charges in connection with the memo.

Haqqani said he was prepared to sue Ijaz in a court of law.

He further said he was mentally prepared to be relieved of his job and has decided to voluntarily say goodbye to his position as ambassador.

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He said he had not been keen to serve in the past and neither did he want to do so today.

The document made public by Ijaz stated that the Pakistan government wanted US assistance to prevent a possible military takeover in the aftermath of the American military raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.