Govt seeks dismissal of 'memogate' case

ISLAMABAD: Government stuck to its guns Tuesday by telling the Supreme Court not to investigate a controversial memo asking for US help in curbing the power of the military.

Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq reiterated that parliament's national security committee should investigate and not the court, which has been asked by the opposition and intelligence chief to order an independent inquiry.

The memo was allegedly an attempt by a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari to enlist American help to head off a feared military coup in May in exchange for overhauling the country's powerful security leadership.

The scandal has fuelled rampant speculation that Zardari's days are numbered and a decision from the Supreme Court to investigate would build pressure on the president, with most observers expecting early elections sometime in 2012.

"Let the parliamentary committee complete its task. Within the parameters of (law), the petitions cannot be maintained," Haq, who is the top government legal adviser, told the court.

He insisted that the memo was a "worthless piece of paper" but it does need to be probed.

Tensions between the army and government soared this month over the memo, allegedly delivered to then US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, in May and first made public by an American-Pakistani businessman in October.

Both sides have since made efforts to quell the tensions, but it remains unclear how the military or the court will respond to Haq's latest remarks.

Army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, last week denied rumours that the military is plotting to overthrow the government.

On Monday, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani denied that he wanted to sack Kayani or ISI chief lieutenant general Ahmad Shuja Pasha.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is heading a nine-judge panel deliberating on whether to investigate what has been nicknamed "memogate" by appointing an inquiry commission.

"There is a national consensus that there should be no compromise on sovereignty and security of country," Chaudhry told the court. He then adjourned the hearing until Wednesday.

The memo is controversial because it offers to overhaul country's security leadership in exchange for American assistance, as public relations plummeted after the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden on May 2.

Businessman Mansoor Ijaz claimed that Zardari feared the military might overthrow his government and accused Husain Haqqani, ambassador to Washington, of crafting the memo with the president's support.

ISI spymaster Pasha said last week that Ijaz had enough evidence to back up his allegations and called for a "forensic examination" of the memo.

Haqqani denies any involvement, but was forced to resign last month and the court has put restrictions on him leaving Pakistan.

His lawyer Asma Jahangir said her client's "fundamental rights have been taken away" over court restrictions on travelling abroad and described Ijaz as a "dubious man" and said it was not up to the ISI to investigate. (AFP)