Pak SC to take up Sharif's 'memogate' petition on Dec 1

Pakistan's Supreme Court will take up former premier Nawaz Sharif's petition seeking a probe into the secret memorandum sent to the US military on December 1, officials said on Tuesday.

A nine-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry will hear the petition, the officials said. The apex court announced its decision after Sharif, who heads the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz party, filed an application asking that his petition be taken up speedily.

In the application, Sharif said Pakistan's territorial integrity and sovereignty had been "violated" once again as NATO aircraft from Afghanistan had carried out an air strike on Saturday that killed 24 soldiers.

The Supreme Court registrar's office on Monday admitted Sharif's petition on the 'memogate' issue.

The petition had asked the court to fix responsibility in the matter and to bring to book those who were involved in drafting and delivering the memorandum.

Sharif's petition had asked the apex court to summon President Asif Ali Zardari, former envoy to the US Husain Haqqani, army chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani, Inter-Services Intelligence agency chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha and Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir to appear before it to explain "the detestable, the despicable and the treacherous memorandum".

Haqqani resigned after being linked to the memo that was made public by Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz.

The memo had sought US help to prevent a possible military coup in the wake of the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Haqqani has said he played no role in drafting or delivering the memo.