Islamabad Court dismisses Ijaz's arrest petition

Islamabad, Jan 18 (ANI): An Islamabad Court has dismissed the petition filed for the arrest of Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz when he arrives in Islamabad to testify on the Memo Gate issue.

Earlier, Islamabad District Court Judge Wajahat Hussain had reserved the judgment after hearing arguments of the petitioner's counsel, Raja Israr Ahmed Abbasi.

Abbasi had told the court that Ijaz was a 'secret agent' trying to destabilise the democratic government by publishing 'fake' and 'baseless' memo-related documents.

Abbasi had said that in addition to the memo, Ijaz's statements, articles and analysis published in the international media were sufficient enough to charge him with offences of sections 153-A, 177, 197, 199, 200, 468, 471 and 505 of the Pakistani Penal Code (PPC).

Abbasi added that he should be immediately arrested upon arrival in Pakistan.

However, the judicial commission probing the Memo Gate case had earlier told the court that a case filed against Ijaz was not maintainable and said that it was the petitioner, Khalid Jameel Sati's, an activist associated with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), attempt to get "cheap publicity".

The police also refused to register an FIR against Ijaz upon Sati's request.

Meanwhile, Ijaz has reportedly received his visa and is expected to arrive at Chaklala Airbase in Pakistan on January 24th.

He would give his testimony to the Supreme Court in the Memo Gate scandal, the Dawn reports.

Although the government claimed that Ijaz will also be given high-level security during his stay in the country, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik had earlier hinted at registering a treason case against him for allegedly playing a role in the fall of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) government in 1990s, and for maligning the Pakistan Army and the ISI. (ANI)