Haqqani to sue Imran for defamation

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani, while rubbishing the allegations levelled against him by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, on Tuesday said he was seeking assistance of his lawyers for legal action against the former prime minister.

On Sunday, the ousted prime minister, speaking to journalists in Lahore, had alleged that Haqqani had been tasked by Gen (retd) Bajwa to lobby in the US. Khan said the former diplomat had launched a campaign against him and had been promoting the former army chief in the US. Bajwa’s “setup is still working in the establishment”, he claimed.

In response to Khan’s allegations, Haqqani said the PTI chief did not get tired of blaming a person who had not held any position of power for 11 years. He said the former premier continued to invoke his name in matters which did not concern him. “I have asked my lawyers to take action,” tweeted the former envoy when asked about the legal proceedings. Sources close to the former ambassador told the Geo News that Haqqani hadn’t been associated with Pakistani politics for years. They said that a lobbying firm in the US had hired Haqqani for research. “Husain Haqqani is not answerable for his research work,” said the sources, adding that Haqqani had never been interested in working with the PTI. He had written four books and hundreds of articles and would continue to write, they added.