Journalist and former television reporter Muna Habib became known due to her relationship with retired US diplomat Richard Olson, who served as former US ambassador to Pakistan.
This relationship garnered attention after an enquiry shed light on Olson’s unconventional conduct during his diplomatic career. However, the focus has shifted Muna Habib for the extra-marital affair with Olson during his tenure in Pakistan.
An article in the US-daily The Washington Post report, which triggered the controversy, recalls how Ambassador Olson conducted his personal and diplomatic business during and after his service.
The report revealed that Habib and Olson began dating during Olson’s tenure as the US ambassador to Pakistan in 2012. The relationship continued for two years despite Olson being married to another US diplomat.
They eventually parted ways in late 2014 when Habib discovered Olson’s infidelity with both her and his wife. They later reconnected, and Olson played a pivotal role in assisting Habib with her education at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2015.
He introduced her to Imaad Zuberi, a Pakistani-American dealmaker, who offered financial assistance worth $25,000, although it was not entirely fulfilled. Zuberi is s now serving a 12-year federal prison sentence for illegal campaign donations and tax crimes.
Habib’s relationship with Olson became a subject of inquiry, and Olson reported it to the CIA’s station chief in Islamabad. In 2019, Olson pleaded guilty to misdemeanors related to his conduct during his diplomatic career, which included failing to disclose gifts and improperly lobbying for foreign interests.
While Olson’s legal troubles continued, he married Habib in June 2019, and they now reside in New Mexico.
In a phone interview with the publication, Muna Habib dismissed questions about her relationship with Olson as “salacious gossip”, adding: “I’m sick and tired of it.”
The article also claimed Olson had illicit relationships with multiple Pakistani women, including Muna Habib, during his stint as a diplomat in Islamabad between 2012 and 2015. Olson retired in 2016.
The report said previously undisclosed records filed in court reveal that Olson was investigated for failing to report a $60,000 diamond jewelry gift to his former mother-in-law Deborah Jones from the emir of Dubai.
Olson told FBI that he had confided in the CIA’s Islamabad station chief about his dating habits. Olson is scheduled to be sentenced in US District Court in Washington after pleading guilty last year to two misdemeanours.
