The political crisis in the country following the revelation of a secret memo sent to Admiral Mike Mullen, who held the post of US army chief on May 2, soon after which the memo was delivered, appears to be coming to a boil. The government has vehemently denied that the memo had been sent at the behest of President Asif Zardari as has Ambassador Hussain Haqqani in Washington any knowledge of it. Nevertheless, as the Admiral has himself acknowledged that it was, indeed, received by him, there is no room for doubt in the reality that it exists. The mystery about who sponsored it or whether it was drafted by US national Mansoor Ijaz on his own initiative needs to be unravelled. The memo solicits US role in changing the complexion of Pakistan militarys security setup and, if the Americans were willing, they were also to be invited to violate Pakistans territorial sovereignty and take military action against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban within Pakistan and even monitor our nuclear assets matters involving the security of the state and highly sensitive not only to our armed forces, but also the people across the entire spectrum of society. Understandably, it could not have failed to cause strains in relations between the government and the armed forces, notwithstanding Information Minister Firdous Awans facile observation that the two were on the same page. Besides, there is widespread public anger and resentment. The memo has also raised a storm of protest from the opposition led by the PML-N, putting the government on the defensive. PML-N President Mian Nawaz Sharif has demanded an investigating committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to get at the truth within 10 to 15 days. Yesterday, he went a little further and warned the government that if it failed to do so, the matter would be taken to the Supreme Court. The PML-N has also called for a joint session of Parliament to debate the issue. Ambassador Haqqani is reported to have left the US for Pakistan, in response to Prime Minister Gilanis instruction, to clarify his position and throw light on other aspects of the case. The issues raised in the memo constitute a serious violation of the Constitution, pointing a finger at the President. Therefore, it is in the governments own interest to come clean with them. Mere removal of the Ambassador, which is expected by certain political circles or any explanation from him, would not settle the dust. Mansoor Ijaz, the key figure in the story, has volunteered to come to Pakistan to provide evidence of his version. A non-partisan body, as suggested by Mian Nawaz Sharif, ought to be immediately constituted with a clear mandate to find the truth. There is no escape from it.