Pakistan’s Supreme Court has begun its inquiry into the controversial ‘Memogate’ scandal, which has pitted the ruling government against the military.
The controversy stems from an unsigned memo warning Washington of a possible coup by the military following the Osama Bin Laden raid in May, and urging the Obama Administration to assist the civilian government in countering such threats.
The memo and its contents were revealed by Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ejaz in an op-ed in the Financial Times in October, where he claimed that the memo was sent at the behest of Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani, conveying a message that came directly from President Asif Ali Zardari.
Islamabad has vehemently denied its complicity in the memo, but that hasn’t halted the storm. Ambassador Haqqani tendered his resignation soon after the scandal broke out, while the President departed to the UAE citing health reasons after suffering a ‘mini-stroke’. Political pundits have seen the developments as a reaction to the military’s furious response to the document, demanding that the Supreme Court investigate the matter. The Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Director General of the ISI Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha have urged the court to investigate the origins of the memo. There has even been talk of bringing up charges of high treason against the author of the document. Meanwhile the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has engaged in PR battle as well, labelling the scandal as a conspiracy to destabilize the government, and have stated that there is no legal precedent to investigate the case at the highest level, a comment that has earned the ire of Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. The Supreme Court has harshly rebuked the government’s insistence that the case does not merit an inquiry, and urged the President to respond to the allegations. Chief Justice Chaudhry even went so far as to state that the President’s refusal to answer could be seen as evidence of guilt. Opposition leaders have capitalized on the controversy, demanding fresh elections on the pretext of the government’s continued failures.
The existence of the memo and its backlash has resulted in a puzzled reaction from Washington. After a muted response, former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen acknowledged that he had received the memo, but gave no importance to it. On the other hand, former National Security Advisor James L. Jones claimed that the memo was entirely written by Mansur Ejaz and that Haqqani had no role to play in it, a statement that is sure to help the former Ambassador as he strives to clear his name in the courts.
Talks of an institutional clash involving the army, the judiciary, and the government, have taken centre stage in Islamabad, and resulted in a flurry of rumours, including the prospect of an imminent military takeover. Last week, several noted politicians, including former Information Minister Sheikh Rashid, had even predicted that President Zardari would never come back, as his departure was the initial stage for the coup. Such speculations were put to rest after the President returned earlier this week. However, the political grapevine has continued to flourish, with Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah stating that Zardari’s comeback was the result of a backdoor deal with the military.
The possibility of such an agreement was played up by the PPP government, after a meeting between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and the Army Chief on the weekend, which also included a telephone conversation between Gen. Kayani and President Zardari. Following the meeting, the Prime Minister declared that the controversy was put to rest, and that there was no need to investigate the issue, implying that a deal had been struck with the Army Chief. However, the military has made no such indications that it will back off from its stance, and continues to demand a proper investigation.
Such mixed signals have left the situation even murkier, and with no clarification in sight, all eyes are on the Supreme Court as the case resumes its hearing on Thursday.
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