ISLAMABAD: During Tuesday's hearing of the memo case, the Supreme Court issued gave Interior Secretary Khawaja Siddiq Akbar until March 11  to provide fool-proof security to Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's former ambassador to the US, upon his return to the country, DawnNews reported.

A larger bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry heard the case today.

During the proceedings, the Supreme Court expressed its disappointment over the interior secretary's absence.

The bench also ordered the interior secretary to appear in court and inform it on the steps that were taken for Haqqani's return.

The bench said the interior secretary should meet and coordinate with concerned agencies over security that is to be provided to the former ambassador upon his return.

Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing to March 11.

The memo scandal had erupted after Haqqani was first named in the controversy by US businessman Mansoor Ijaz who had said that it was the former ambassador who had asked him (Ijaz) to deliver the memo to the then US military chief days after the May 2, 2011 US raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.