Pak politicians criticize Qureshi over his remarks on Raymond Davis
By ANIMonday, February 14, 2011
LAHORE - Several Pakistani politicians have criticized former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s stance that the double murder-accused US official Raymond Davis could not be given diplomatic immunity.
Law Minister Babar Awan, in an obvious reference to Quereshi’s statement, said that the government would not allow anybody to become hero by politicizing the issue.
Without naming Qureshi, Awan said that anybody who was no more part of the government had no right to give a policy statement on such important issues, the Nation reports
Information and Broadcasting Minister Firdous Aashiq Awan echoed Babar’s remarks and said: “Qureshi had not shown his concerns when he was Foreign Minister, and now these remarks about Davis are not in favour of the country.”
She said that Qureshi’s statements about Davis’ immunity will “create a bad environment in the country”.
She also said that the Davis case is already in court, and the government will accept the verdict given by the court.
Earlier, Qureshi had ruled out providing immunity to Davis saying that the suspect is not a diplomat in Pakistan.
“The kind of blanket immunity Washington is pressing for Davis, is not endorsed by the official record of the Foreign Ministry,” Qureshi had said.On the basis of the official record and the advice given to me by the technocrats and experts of the Foreign Office, I could not certify him as a diplomat,” he added. (ANI)
