Accused of Taking Pakistani Payola

In my column for CNN, I talk about the strange accusation hurled at me before the tribunal investigating Pakistan's memo controversy.

That was an interesting week!

On Wednesday, Google Alerts brought me a piece of startling news: A lawyer speaking to a tribunal of the Supreme Court of Pakistan had accused me of acting as a paid agent of the government of Pakistan.

No, seriously, that's what the man said.

From Pakistan's Daily Times on May 23:

"Counsel Akram Sheikh had claimed in a statement that a Pakistani embassy provided funds to Harlan Ullman and David Frum for damage control after the memo controversy."

I was so taken aback by the claim that I telephoned Sheikh to ask whether it was true. We had a short but intense exchange. Sheikh flew immediately into a rage at me, accused me of harassing him, insisted that I was somehow violating Pakistani law by telephoning him, refused to confirm or deny the Daily Times account and ended by inviting me to sue him for defamation.

My confidence in the Pakistani system of justice not being very high, I declined the latter invitation. But given that Sheikh's charges have gained a hearing inside Pakistan, some kind of answer seems due.

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David Frum

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