Pakistan's former ambassador in the US was "lobbying against his own country" and "creating hurdles for the government", the country's top diplomat said today, apparently referring to Hussain Haqqani who was sacked by the government at the army's behest.
"A former Pakistani ambassador is working against his own country in the US," the Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz told the National Assembly without naming the ex-ambassador.
He said that Pakistan's diplomatic mission in the US is facing challenges due to the former ambassador's campaign.
"This person is trying to tackle all our diplomatic efforts in boosting the bilateral ties between Pakistan and the United States," Aziz was quoted as saying by Dawn.
He was "lobbying against his own country" and "creating hurdles for the government", Aziz said.
The adviser added that the "Foreign Office has serious reservation on the activities of the said person in the US."
According to knowledgeable sources, Aziz was referring to Haqqani who was appointed as ambassador during rule of former President Asif Ali Zardari and later sacked at the insistence by army which was not happy with his working.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif accused Haqqani earlier this year by naming for working against F-16 planes deal, which was unsuccessful as US congress refused to fund the purchase of eight latest F-16s.
Haqqani, who served as Pakistan's ambassador to the US from April 2008 to November 2011, was sacked for allegedly authoring a memo seeking Washington's help to prevent a coup in the country.
(Reopens FES 122)
Refuting Aziz's allegations, Haqqani said that he is not engaged in lobbying and would never lobby against what "I consider to be the interest of Pakistan."
"I am now a scholar in the US, not a lobbyist," said Haqqani, currently a Senior Fellow and Director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute, a top US think-tank.
"If my opinions as a scholar carry so much weight that US policy is being affected by them then the Pakistan Foreign Ministry should try to influence my opinions rather than treating me like a pariah and making false allegations against me in the Pakistani media," he said in a statement.
Haqqani said Pakistan's difficulties in the US were the result of years of supporting jihadis and making excuses that are having less and less effect on Americans.
Moreover, Pakistan's dependence on US aid made it susceptible to changes in the US national mood and attitude.
"I did not make the AQ Khan network, support the Taliban as they killed US soldiers in Afghanistan or allow UN designated terrorist groups to function openly so there is no point in blaming me for these policy failures. Neither I nor any other former ambassador was responsible for the OBL (Osama Bin Laden) fiasco," he added.
