ICJ calls on Pak to respect rights of 'under threat' Haqqani

Geneva, Jan 26(ANI): The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has expressed concern over the "infringement of rights" of former envoy to the US, Husain Haqqani.

"Husain Haqqani faced a vicious media trial following which the Supreme Court of Pakistan [ruling], on a petition, debarred him from travelling abroad, despite the fact that he has not been charged with any crime," The Daily Times quoted ICJ Asia-Pacific Regional Office's international legal adviser Sheila Varadan, as saying.

"Husain Haqqani continues to receive threats and has been painted as disloyal to the country. There is, though, no proof of any betrayal of his duties as an ambassador of Pakistan to the United States," she added.

"We are calling on the Pakistani authorities to respect Husain Haqqani's right to be presumed innocent and to remove the restriction on his right to leave the country and any other restrictions on his right to freedom of movement. They must also ensure his personal safety at all times and respect his right to a fair and impartial hearing throughout the Inquiry process," she further said.

Haqqani's lawyer Asma Jahangir said that Haqqani has taken refuge in the compound of Prime Minister's House after receiving life threats.

Haqqani had earlier resigned from the post of ambassador after Pakistani- American businessman Mansoor Ijaz had claimed that he authored the alleged memo which was believed to contain promises of greater cooperation between Pakistan and the US Americans in counter-terrorism operations in exchange for the latter's support to subvert a potential military coup.

Ijaz has not yet submitted his statement to Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) in connection with the Memo Gate probe. (ANI)