Islamabad: Controversial Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz has set several conditions for appearing before the judicial panel probing the memo scandal, including a "guarantee of safe passage" and the provision of security during his stay in Islamabad.

In an email sent to the commission appointed by the Supreme Court, Ijaz said he would not be able to appear before the panel "until sometime after the middle of January" as he was currently on holiday with his family and would return home by January 9.
The judicial commission recently sent summons to several persons, including Ijaz, to appear before it at the next hearing to be held on January 9. Ijaz said he was ready to waive his rights to privacy, surrender his BlackBerry sets and give his two PIN numbers for collection of data and to ease the commission’s work.
However, he set several conditions for appearing before the commission, saying in his email that "proper provisions" should be made for his security in Islamabad and that he should be given "guarantee of safe passage while going into and out of Pakistan".
"My family needs to know that the government is taking responsibility for my security while I am in country," he said.
Ijaz said he did not "intend to stay for more than one or two days" in Pakistan and that the commission should complete questioning him "within the shortest possible timeframe to reduce the risks and logistics issues" associated with his appearance.
Ijaz contended that he needed security as Interior Minister Rehman Malik had "made multiple public statements about asking the US government and Interpol to interfere with my freedoms". Ijaz said the commission should give him assurances that there would be "no interference from politicized elements" when he came to Pakistan.
He also sought security for the data that he wished to present to the commission.
The controversial Pakistani American has been at the centre of the "Memogate" controversy since he made public the alleged memo that had sought US help to stave off a possible military coup in Pakistan after the killing of Osama bin Laden in May last year.
In a separate application sent to the commission yesterday, Ijaz offered for forensic investigation his BlackBerry phones that he used to allegedly communicate with Husain Haqqani, Pakistan`s former envoy to the US.
Haqqani was forced to resign after the alleged memo became public. Ijaz made several suggestions in the application that he claimed would help the commission to speed up its inquiries. To ease the commission’s work, Ijaz said he was ready to surrender his BlackBerry sets and give his two PIN numbers for collection of data.
He contended things would move it "much faster" if the commission appoints a forensic specialist to visit the CEO of RIM at its server for European communications at Berkshire in Britain.
The commission should also contact RIM`s Chief Legal Officer Karima Bawa, Head of European Operations Stephen Bates and the head of the US operations at Irving, Texas, where RIM has data servers with technical data and records of communications between him and Haqqani.
Ijaz also asked the commission to direct the Pakistan High Commission in London to immediately issue him a visa.
PTI