Memo scandal: No return and little dividend

Fearing arrest, Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, the central figure in the memo scandal, on Monday said he would not visit Islamabad to depose before a judicial panel probing the matter and wants his testimony to be recorded either in London or Zurich.

Ijaz, who triggered a confrontation between Pakistan’s civilian government and the military by making public a secret memo that sought the US help to stave off a feared coup in Pakistan last year, said in a statement that he was willing to depose before the Supreme Court-appointed commission in London or Zurich.

In a statement released through his lawyer Akram Sheikh, Ijaz said he had been given “no assurance” by any person on behalf of the Pakistan government to ward off his apprehensions regarding his security. “It seems like a well-orchestrated trap to hold Mansoor Ijaz indefinitely in Pakistan after his deposition before the commission. Therefore, Mansoor Ijaz has decided to make a request to the commission to record his statement in strict compliance with the order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in London or Zurich,” Sheikh told the media.

The statement from Ijaz ended speculation about his appearance before the judicial commission tomorrow.