London:
Former US National Security Advisor Jim Jones has said that he was the person who handed over a secret memorandum purportedly from Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to the US that warned of and sought assistance against a possible military takeover after Osama bin Laden was killed in May.
Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz has claimed that he drafted the memo on the instructions of Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani, a charge denied by the envoy.
On Sunday, Mr Haqqani met President Zardari to clarify his position on the issue and is reported to have stuck to his stand that he had nothing to do with it.
The, businessman who broke what is now known as the "Memogate" story, talked exclusively to NDTV about the Zardari connection in the matter.
Asked whether President Zardari knew about the memo, Mr Ijaz said, "It's a sixty-four-thousand dollar question". He added, "There's no question that Haqqani is in trouble. There's no question that Zardari has a lot of answers to give".
The businessman said that Mr Haqqani reached out to him saying he is a "plausibly deniable channel" for them. "Credibility is in the eye of the beholder. I was like a typist," Mr Ijaz said.
For India, the memo stands out for a sub-point saying Pakistan's government - under a new national security team - is prepared to fully cooperate with the Indian government on 26/11 investigations and bringing to justice all perpetrators within or outside the government, including intelligence agencies. "This includes handing over those against whom sufficient evidence exists of guilt to the Indian security services."
Elaborating on the reference in the memo to President Zardari's readiness to hand over the 26/11 attackers to India, Mr Ijaz told NDTV that this was among several proposals "designed to win the confidence of the US administration."
As the storm over Mr Haqqani's alleged role continued to rage, Mr Jones confirmed to the Pakistani media that he received the memo from Mr Ijaz and delivered it to Admiral Mullen in May. However, Mr Jones said he was neither a serving US government official or associated with the Obama administration in any way when he delivered the memo to Mullen.
"I was not in government when I forwarded the message to Admiral Mullen on May 10," Mr Jones, who was the NSA of President Barack Obama from January 2009 to October 2010, said in an email sent to some Pakistani journalists.
The Ambassador, who had offered to resign in national interest, has been summoned to Islamabad amid reports that the powerful military is pressuring the civilian government to recall the Ambassador.
A report in Newsweek said that last month, Mansoor Ijaz spent over four with the lSI chief Shuja Pasha in London. The ISI chief had sought the meeting to go over the businessman's evidence against Mr Haqqani, the report said.
Before leaving Washington, Mr Haqqani had said he would appear before a Pakistani parliamentary committee which would be headed by a religious scholar who was also a lawmaker.
He said that the panel would hold a full inquiry into the issue and try to "sift facts from fiction".
Mr Haqqani said he would urge the committee to investigate why "the statement of a doubtful individual was blown out of proportion".
The Ambassador is seen as a close aide of President Zardari and has played a key role in resolving several recent crises in bilateral relations. He has, however, always had an uneasy relationship with the military.
Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz has claimed that he drafted the memo on the instructions of Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani, a charge denied by the envoy.
On Sunday, Mr Haqqani met President Zardari to clarify his position on the issue and is reported to have stuck to his stand that he had nothing to do with it.
The, businessman who broke what is now known as the "Memogate" story, talked exclusively to NDTV about the Zardari connection in the matter.
Asked whether President Zardari knew about the memo, Mr Ijaz said, "It's a sixty-four-thousand dollar question". He added, "There's no question that Haqqani is in trouble. There's no question that Zardari has a lot of answers to give".
The businessman said that Mr Haqqani reached out to him saying he is a "plausibly deniable channel" for them. "Credibility is in the eye of the beholder. I was like a typist," Mr Ijaz said.
For India, the memo stands out for a sub-point saying Pakistan's government - under a new national security team - is prepared to fully cooperate with the Indian government on 26/11 investigations and bringing to justice all perpetrators within or outside the government, including intelligence agencies. "This includes handing over those against whom sufficient evidence exists of guilt to the Indian security services."
Elaborating on the reference in the memo to President Zardari's readiness to hand over the 26/11 attackers to India, Mr Ijaz told NDTV that this was among several proposals "designed to win the confidence of the US administration."
As the storm over Mr Haqqani's alleged role continued to rage, Mr Jones confirmed to the Pakistani media that he received the memo from Mr Ijaz and delivered it to Admiral Mullen in May. However, Mr Jones said he was neither a serving US government official or associated with the Obama administration in any way when he delivered the memo to Mullen.
"I was not in government when I forwarded the message to Admiral Mullen on May 10," Mr Jones, who was the NSA of President Barack Obama from January 2009 to October 2010, said in an email sent to some Pakistani journalists.
The Ambassador, who had offered to resign in national interest, has been summoned to Islamabad amid reports that the powerful military is pressuring the civilian government to recall the Ambassador.
A report in Newsweek said that last month, Mansoor Ijaz spent over four with the lSI chief Shuja Pasha in London. The ISI chief had sought the meeting to go over the businessman's evidence against Mr Haqqani, the report said.
Before leaving Washington, Mr Haqqani had said he would appear before a Pakistani parliamentary committee which would be headed by a religious scholar who was also a lawmaker.
He said that the panel would hold a full inquiry into the issue and try to "sift facts from fiction".
Mr Haqqani said he would urge the committee to investigate why "the statement of a doubtful individual was blown out of proportion".
The Ambassador is seen as a close aide of President Zardari and has played a key role in resolving several recent crises in bilateral relations. He has, however, always had an uneasy relationship with the military.
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