Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik has sought the permission of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to depose before the Supreme Court-appointed commission hearing the ‘Memogate' case, as he has been named in Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz's testimony.
In his four-page submission sent to the Chief Justice through his Srinagar-based lawyer Zaffar A. Shah, Mr. Malik has said there is a cleverly calculated mischief in Mr. Ijaz's statement that he had met the former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief at the prodding of the United States.
Since he is not party to the case, Mr. Malik has argued, he should be offered an opportunity to respond to the statement, more so because Mr. Ijaz has sought to show him in a poor light in the past too.
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Pointing out that the Commission is required to hear every person who is likely to assist it, he has said: “It is also consistent with the rules of natural justice to hear persons who are likely to be affected in the proceedings of the Commission.”
In a related development, Mr. Malik's Rawalpindi-based wife Mushaal Malik approached the ‘Memogate Commission' on Saturday with a similar application. Thereafter, it was decided that the portions related to the JKLF leader would be deleted from Mr. Ijaz's testimony, which is being video-recorded from the Pakistan High Commission in London. The Pakistani-American businessman's lawyer conceded that acceptance of Ms. Malik's application would have resulted in having to summon the former RAW chief, virtually opening the Pandora's box.