Haqqani sends notice to Imran over Bajwa, regime change allegations

LONDON: Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani’s American lawyer has asked Imran Khan to stop making false allegations against his client, linking him with the overthrow of his government or a defamation case will be initiated against the former premier, including holding him responsible for any harm to the former ambassador.

Hussin Haqqani’s US attorney Steven Barentzen has sent a letter to Imran Khan at the Banigala address, which was delivered on Monday. Imran Khan has made several statements against Haqqani in recent days, accusing him of being part of an alleged conspiracy against his government and also claimed that Haqqani was hired by the former military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the military intelligence to lobby for Pakistan military in the United States and that Haqqani created a negative image of him in the USA. Hussain Haqqani has denied all these allegations, saying that Imran Khan hallucinates and lies.

Haqqani’s lawyer has asked the former premier to “immediately cease and desist from making false and defamatory statements about Mr Haqqani, specifically falsely accusing Mr Haqqani of providing lobbying services to retired Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in the United States and launching a campaign against you, or taking any other actions to incite or cause your followers to harass Mr. Haqqani or cause him violence.”

The legal letter says: “Please be advised that Mr. Haqqani is not, and has never been, a lobbyist for anyone in the US, including Pakistan’s current or former army chief. Mr Haqqani is a scholar who has written extensively on Pakistan’s politics and foreign policy. He is widely respected around the world for his critique of military intervention in Pakistani politics and his writings in favour of constitutional democracy and against Islamist extremism.

“Lobbying for a foreign principal in the US requires registration with the United States Department of Justice, and doing so without such registration is a violation of United States law. Mr Haqqani had not violated that, or any other law. Moreover, Mr Haqqani has not accepted compensation from anyone in Pakistan to turn anyone in the United States for, or against, any Pakistani political actor, including you.”

Hussain Haqqani’s lawyer has told Imran Khan his allegations and accusations that Mr Haqqani has worked to turn the United States against him “are not only false, but they are also dangerous. These false and defamatory statements are clearly being made by you, and broadcast and repeated in videos, media interviews, and through mainstream and social media, for the purpose of agitating and riling up your supporters against Mr Haqqani. This has compromised both his privacy and his personal safety. Your conduct targeting Mr. Haqqani is particularly troubling given that your Pakistani followers have been known to engage in violence and have attacked prominent Pakistanis even outside the country. Mr Haqqani is already being harassed by your followers on social media and has legitimate concerns about his safety.”

The letter concludes: “Please be advised that if you do not immediately cease and desist making false and defamatory statements, and inciting your followers to violence, or much worse if something does happen to Mr. Haqqani, he is prepared without further notice to you to take whatever legal actions are necessary in the appropriate legal forum to not only protect and defend himself, but also to hold you accountable.”