US affirms support for democracy in Pak following memo row

Washington, Nov 20 (ANI): The US State Department stressed the need to continue the democratic process in Pakistan as ambassador Husain Haqqani headed home to appear before a parliamentary committee over the memo row.

"We clearly support the democratically elected government of Pakistan, as well as its constitutional processes," The Dawn quoted State Department spokesman Mark Toner, as saying.

But the White House and the Pentagon underlined their links with both civilian and military establishments in Pakistan while refusing to take sides in a crisis that threatens to undo the current democratic set-up.

America's special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Marc Grossman had met Haqqani hours before he boarded a plane for Islamabad.

After the 35-minute meeting, the State Department issued a statement, saying that Ambassador Grossman had never seen the memo before it was made public.

During the meeting, Grossman "referenced the statement of former Chairman of US chiefs of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen's spokesperson that the former did receive a letter from Mansoor Ijaz, but that 'he did not find it at all credible and took no note of it then or later'. Therefore, he addressed it with no one," the statement said.

Ijaz, a Pakistani-American businessman, claimed in a newspaper article last month that he delivered an alleged memo from President Zardari to Mullen, seeking his support for sacking several senior Pakistani military officials for averting a possible coup. (ANI)