Memo hearing: Ijaz seeks time till Jan 25

Shortly after the commission began its third sitting Monday morning,Ijazs lawyer Akram Sheikh said his client wanted more time to come to Pakistan to appear before the panel. Sheikh said Ijaz had been receiving threats and wanted to get insurance done for the safety of himself and his family.

He submitted an application seeking time till January 25 for Ijaz to appear before the three-judge commission. The lawyer further said that Ijaz had made an appointment at the Pakistani Embassy at Berne in Switzerland Monday to get a visa to travel to the country.

The members of the commission asked Sheikh to clarify once and for all whether Ijaz intended to come to Pakistan.

Meanwhile,Pakistani envoy to US Husain Haqqanis lawyer contended Ijaz would not come to Pakistan and was setting all sorts of unnecessary conditions for his visit. Haqqani was forced to resign after Ijaz made public a mysterious memo that had sought US help to stave off a feared military coup in Pakistan after the killing of Osama bin Laden in May last year.

RIM refuses to share BlackBerry data

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion RIM has rejected Pakistans request for details of communications between former envoy Husain Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz related to the memo scandal. RIM has informed the Pakistan government that under its privacy policy BlackBerry data can be released only if a request is made by customers.