CIA claims sensationalized to deflect attention from Panamagate: Husain Haqqani

WASHINGTON - Former Pakistan ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani has said that the ruckus created on his CIA claims is intended at deflecting the attention from Panamagate.

The former ambassador said that, in his opinion piece, he did not admit anything nor did he hurl accusations adding that he had wrote the piece on reports emerging in the media, Geo News reported.

"Haqqani clarified that he had admitted to the presence of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Pakistan, but hadn’t claimed someone had intentionally facilitated their presence," the report added.

Criticising those asking for a parliamentary commission to probe the issue, he said the same people had termed a commission on memogate inadequate.

“The more one digs into the matter, the more will be revealed,” said Haqqani, adding that people should not take the matter seriously.

Haqqani had admitted that he helped the United States to station a large number of CIA operatives in Pakistan with the authorization of the then civilian government.

Haqqani, who had served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the US from Apr 2008 to Nov 2011 before being ousted in the purview of memogate scandal, made the disclosure in his piece published in The Washington Post on Friday.