Husain Haqqani, Pakis­tan’s former ambassador to the US, said on Wednesday evening that he was ready to record his statement with a parliamentary commission if an investigation into recent claims he made in an op-ed published by the Washington Post is pushed forward.

Journalist Mehar Bukhari, who hosts the 'NewsEye' show on DawnNews, had asked Haqqani if he would appear before a commission — if one was set up — to which the former ambassador responded in the affirmative.

Read more: Defence minister wants commission to probe Hussain Haqqani's allegations

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had earlier on the same day called for a commission to probe Haqqani's claims that his ‘connections’ with the Obama administration enabled the US to target and kill Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

"Many commissions have been set up and a report also released, but until today the Supreme Court has not taken action on this report," Haqqani claimed.

"Someone sitting outside the country can stay there and give a statement. If a commission wants a statement from me, they should ask in writing... I will give a statement via video link," he said.

However, he maintained that "nothing new has been said that must be denied."

In his article published in the Washington Post on Friday, Haqqani had defended the Trump team’s contacts with Russia during and after the 2016 US presidential elections, saying he had also established similar relations with members of the Obama campaign during the 2008 elections.

Those contacts "led to closer cooperation between Pakistan and the United States in fighting terrorism over the 3 1/2 years I served as ambassador" and "eventually enabled the United States to discover and eliminate bin Laden without depending on Pakistan’s intelligence service or military, which were suspected of sympathy toward Islamist militants," the op-ed said.

Read more: Haqqani claims his ‘connections’ led US to kill Osama

Haqqani on Wednesday added that "the Americans took advantage of the ties that we facilitated and conducted an operation ... I also wrote that in this operation, we were not taken into confidence. This includes the army and the civilian government."

"The problem arose when the discussion took place about the increasing number of Americans in Pakistan, because they'd given us a very large aid package — $7 billion. When they increased their numbers, some of our people said if we're taking their aid, we should let them come here too."

"A spy does not inform you that he is a spy before he visits ... Many Americans came in larger numbers; surely there were spies present among them," he said.

"I wrote that this is what happened, but I did not say that anyone intended this on purpose," he added.

"The point is that Central Intelligence Agency operatives who notified and came to Pakistan, they all notified the Inter-Services Intelligence. They didn't phone me and say I'm a CIA man, I'm travelling, please give me a visa," he alleged.

"Osama bin Laden was found in Pakistan not because someone was issued a visa, but because he was in Pakistan," Haqqani added.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.