Qureshi says blood money proves Davis had no immunity
17 March, 2011
LAHORE: Former foreign minister and PPP central leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said the release of Raymond Davis after payment of blood money (Diyat) proves that he never enjoyed any immunity and more facts need to be brought before nation now.
“My stand is vindicated now, it has been proven beyond any doubt that Raymond Davis didn’t enjoy diplomatic immunity and the impression conveyed by the United States that Pakistan was violating Vienna Convention wasn’t true” said the former foreign minister while talking to our sources.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, answering to a question about Diyat sought by the families of murdered Pakistani citizens Faheem and Faizan, said it was their legal right but still the picture of its recent episode wasn’t much clear.
He said there had been speculations that the families of Faheem and Faizan were ‘forced’ to make a compromise over the issue and their absence from the scene added to the confusion. Shah Mehmood Qureshi said if facts were not brought before the nation, the confusion pertaining to this important case would prevail.
This is noteworthy that Shah Mehmood Qureshi was one of the PPP leaders who had been opposing diplomatic immunity to Davis and apparently parted ways with his incumbent leadership, though he always claimed to be a PPP stalwart.
Interestingly, when former PPP Secretary Information Fauzia Wahab, who had to quit office after issuing statement ‘defending immunity’ to Davis, was contacted, she merely replied ‘no comment.’
However, other leaders of the PPP also expressed ‘satisfaction’ over the release of Raymond Davis after the payment of Diyat to the bereaved families. Minister for Defence Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar while talking to our sources said that if the families had adopted any legal and religious way, it was their right.
Ahmed Mukhtar said the families had agreed to seek Diyat as per their will and it wasn’t fair to do politics on any such issue. Another PPP central leader and National Assembly former Speaker Syed Fakhar Imam said once the complainants had agreed to withdraw the case after receiving Diyat and the court had given its verdict, what else could be stated.
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