Memogate: Former US top official James Jones says memo document was not credible

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The retired American general who delivered an alleged memo that sought US help to stave off a feared coup in Pakistan has said that he believes the document was "not credible".

Former US National Security Advisor, Gen (retired) James Jones has said in an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court that he delivered the memo to former US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen on May 10 on behalf of Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz.

Jones said Ijaz had told him that the memo contained a message from the "highest authority" in the Pakistan government. However, Jones said he was not convinced about the memo's credibility and that Ijaz had never said he was acting on the directions of Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's former envoy to the US.

"Upon my reading of the memo that I was asked to forward to Admiral Mullen, it struck me as highly unusual that the 'highest authority' in the Pakistan government would use ljaz, a private citizen and part-time journalist living in Europe, as a conduit for this communication. My personal opinion was that the memo was probably not credible," Jones said.

Jones submitted the affidavit dated December 12 to Haqqani's lawyer. The former envoy is at the centre of a probe being conducted by Pakistan's Supreme Court into the Memogate scandal and his legal team has submitted the affidavit in court and will use it to strengthen his claim that he had played no role in drafting or delivering the memo.