ISLAMABAD – With the ouster of Shah Mahmood Qureshi from the cabinet – the former foreign minister who declined immunity for the jailed US citizen Raymond Davis – the country’s foreign policy managers have started fresh but secret consultations with the US authorities to resolve the contentious issue amicably and avert the possible suspension of diplomatic ties between Islamabad and Washington.
“President Barack Obama’s call to President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday has changed the situation to a great extent and the two leaders have agreed to work out a mutually-agreed settlement to row over the fate of Davis in about two weeks before Davis’ court appearance on February 25,” a Pakistani diplomat said. He said the US authorities wanted the Pakistani Foreign Office to declare immunity in the court before or on the next hearing of Davis’s case and with Qureshi no more in control of affairs at the ministry, it was most likely to come up with that during the required time period.
The Foreign Ministry officials are reluctant to come up with diplomatic immunity for Davis as they say he could be anything but a diplomat and that objection and concern has led to Qureshi’s ouster from the cabinet. However, they also realise that with the country heavily dependent upon the US for aid and assistance, there is no other viable option.
The officials at the Foreign Ministry claim that the Interior Ministry has been instrumental in preparing the case and now they only need an approval by the Foreign Office, something that was denied by the former foreign minister that first led to tension with the interior minister followed by anger in the Presidency and finally his decision to quit the ministry.
Security circles are also perturbed over Davis’s case as to them he is not the only “dubious character” and hundreds such people are currently present in the country in the guise of diplomatic staff. The security agencies want proper documentation of all such Americans and also non-issuance of visas to such people.
“Besides, we also expect changes in top slots in the Pakistani diplomatic missions in the US. Some important people can be asked to call it a day,” a senior security official said. He declined to comment when asked whether there were any chances of Ambassador Hussain Haqqani to be replaced.
The official said the Davis issue had already started creating ripples in Islamabad and it would not only affect the country’s diplomatic ties with the US but also national politics.
