WASHINGTON — Pakistan’s former ambassador to Washington, who was summoned by his country’s top court, Thursday staunchly defended civilian rule and efforts to improve ties with the United States.

A commission set up by the Supreme Court has accused Husain Haqqani of disloyalty over an unsigned memo sent in May 2011 to the then chief of the US armed forces, Admiral Mike Mullen, seeking help to curb Pakistan’s military in the wake of the US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden.

In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, Haqqani dismissed claims he wrote the memo, saying it was illogical to accuse him of being an “American agent” and at the same time charge that he needed to rely on a controversial businessman to transmit a memo to US leaders.

“Branding me a traitor will not solve any of Pakistan’s myriad problems, not least of which is the prospect of international isolation,” Haqqani wrote, pointing to surveys showing that Pakistan’s image was as low as North Korea’s.

“It is tragic that anti-Americanism is being exploited to push ideological agendas, but I stand by my view that positive US-Pakistan relations under a civilian-led Pakistani government are necessary for international peace and Pakistan’s stability,” he said.

Haqqani denied writing the memo, but said: “Many people around the world would recognize that its contents suggesting changes in Pakistan’s counterterrorism and nuclear policies reflect reasonable views that are not treasonous and are, in fact, in line with global thinking.” — AFP