Let me take you on a wild voyage through the 2011 high-stakes incident that exposed Pakistan's politics as being cunning.
2011 is the year. Al-Qaida leader Bin Laden is killed in Abbotabbad as a consequence of a US conversion operation in Pakistan.
The US-Pakistani relationship had already reached historic lows in 2011, but this raid made things far worse. October 10, 2011: Pakistani American businessman Mansoor Ijaz publishes an article in Financial Times.
He claims to have delivered a "memo" to US Joint Chief of Staff Mike Mullen.
The 'memo', drafted by Haqqani, gave 'critical offer' to Obama govt, by Pak 'civilian govt'. Ijaz claims memo offered Obama govt to support Pakistan civilian govt, do a 'counter-coup' against military estab & help install a new "national security team" in Islamabad.
It rocks Islamabad, but the full content of memo is still unknown. Haqqani denies any involvement.
Nov 17, 2011: Foreign Policy magazine publishes full text of a "secret document", sent by top officials of Pakistani civil govt to US Joint Chief Mike Mullen.
This memo provides a 6 point formula if US helps to overthrow the military estab & setup a new national security. Memo offers US that Pres Zardari can order an inquiry into allegations of Pakistan harboring UBL & other AQ leaders.
It offers US to recommend names for the investigators of this 'independent' inquiry commission.
This new civilian national security team will also allows US special offers to enter Pakistan & conduct necessary ops against terrorists & kill or capture them.
Memo terms this as 'carte blanche' offer, that will have political risks, but it reflects "commitment" of new team. Memo offers that Pakistani nuclear assets will be taken over by a civilian setup, led by new national security team.
It also offers a detailed plan to create a framework of nuclear program that will be acceptable to US. Memo offers to eliminate "Section S" of ISI that, it alleges, is responsible for maintaining relations with Taliban and Haqqani network.
Memo asks US to help civilian govt in "pigeon-holing" the forces that are against "US interest" in Pakistan.
Memo also offers to reset Pakitsan's relations with India, including handing over the preparators of 2008 Mumbai attacks, even if those are from intel agencies.
They will be handed over if Indian security agencies believe there is "sufficient evidence of guilt". While these points are formally written in the memo, Mansoor claimed that he was tasked with delivering many other verbal messages as well.
For example, Haqqani provided a detailed account of new national security team that would be installed in Islamabad. Haqqani himself will lead this new national security team. An individual with the initials "JK" would be the new foreign ministers.
An individual with initials "NB" would be the incharge of Pakistan military & all of its intelligence agencies. Mike Mullen initially denied having receivable such memo, but a week later, Pentagon confirmed ithe memo's existence.
Pentagon spoke John Kirby told FP that Mullen had indeed received this secret memo, but "gave no credibility".
Mansoor Ijaz told FP that when memo was final, he was asked by Haqqani to reach out to three US interlocutors to deliver it secretly to Mike Mullen.
Ijaz told that all three were skeptical about it because it was a complete "sellout of Pakistan to United States". When asked if Haqqani was working lonely or had backing of Pre Zardari, Ijaz told FP that Pres Zardari gave blanket power to HQ to conduct this "Stealth Operation".
When asked why HH chose Mansoor Ijaz when he himself has connections in Washington, Mansoor said HH chose him to to bec Haqqani and Zardari neede plausible deniability, in case it blows up into a scandal, which it did.
Mansoor Ijaz claimed that Haqqani was the "architect" of overthrowing military leadership in Pakistan. In Pakistan, PMLN leader Nawaz Sharif filed a constitutional petition in Supreme Court, seeking a probe into this memogate.
SC constituted a judicial commission under Chief Justice Balochistan High Court Justice Qazi Faiz Isa. [Yes]
After proceedings of few months, the judicial commission submitted ita detailed report to supreme court.
Judicial commission concluded that Hussain Haqqani has indeed written the memo that was sent to US. Commission concluded that Haqqani "sought American help" and that he wanted to make a niche for himself, making himself "forever dispensable to Americans" .
The commission findings:
Earlier, Supreme Court had allowed Husain Haqqani, who was fired as Pakistan envoy to US , to return to US, but with guarantee that he will return to Pakistan when asked.
After Commission report, SC starts proceedings, but Haqqani refuses to appear before SC & goes "rogue". SC disposed off this case , saying that it was the govt responsibility to arrest & try former envoy Hussain Haqqani.
Since then, Haqqani has taken new roles in many US think tanks, but is still a wanted fugitive in Pakistan.
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