Islamabad: A US-based businessman has claimed
that he has "crystal clear" evidence to back his claim that
he acted as an intermediary between President Asif Ali Zardari
and the US administration to avert a military coup in wake of
the unilateral US raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
Mansoor Ijaz`s comments came after Pakistan government
rejected his claims, that detailed his role in Zardari`s
efforts to reach out to the Obama administration to ask it to
stop army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani from staging a coup
following the May 2 Abbottabad raid, in an article in the
Financial Times on October 10.
Though the article created a flutter in Pakistani
political circles, the government maintained silence on it for
over two weeks.
The Foreign Office denied Ijaz`s assertions on October 28
while presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar issued a denial
the following day.
Ijaz responded to the denials yesterday in a statement
issued from Zurich, saying he had proof to back up his claim.
"I have the facts - all the facts. Every word I say or
write is backed with hard evidence and proof. Challenging me
on that would be a grave mistake," he said.
Ijaz reminded the Foreign Office, presidential
spokesperson Babar and Zardari that "the facts I have are
irrefutable."
He added: "The evidence is crystal clear."
PTI
