ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's former ambassador to the United States, said he fears he will be killed if he leaves the security of the prime minister's residence.
Haqqani has been branded a traitor in Pakistan after Pakistani American businessman Mansoor Ijaz alleged Haqqani had drafted a memo backed by President Asif Zardari that asked the U.S. government to help oust Pakistan's military leadership.
Zardari and Haqqani have denied any involvement in the alleged memo.
In an interview with Britain's The Daily Telegraph, Haqqani said the allegations are false and are part of an internal psychological war against Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani. He said the president and prime minister are standing behind him.
Haqqani has taken refuge in the prime minister's residence and has only left on three occasions.
"My good friend Salman Taseer was killed by a security guard because he heard in the media that the governor had blasphemed. I'm being called a traitor and an American lackey in the media with the clear encouragement of certain powerful quarters even though I've not been charged legally with anything," he told the newspaper.
