ISLAMABAD – Former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday stunned parliamentarians by saying that his phone was being tapped after he refused to join the new cabinet and took a position on the issue of Raymond Davis.
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly for the first time after spilling the beans on the Davis issue, the former minister said, “For the past few days, the sound of my phone has changed significantly.” Not divulging any details, Qureshi threatened to expose those who had messed up the Davis’ issue, saying the matter had been mishandled.
Disappointed with some PPP leaders’ comments against him, Qureshi said a character assassination campaign had been launched against him by his own party men who had known him for years. “This issue was mishandled. I don’t want to name the people who mishandled it, don’t force me to do that and if it comes to that stage, I will. I don’t believe in hitting people below the belt, I don’t believe in conspiracies and I will continue honourable politics,” he said.
Qureshi denied reports that he would quit the party and defended his decision of not joining the federal cabinet after the party’s leadership decided to change his portfolio. He also denied his closed-door meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Leader of the Opposition Nisar Ali Khan.
“Let me inform you that during this so-called closed-door meeting, many others including PML-Q leader Wasim Sajjad were also present and he can share the details of the discussion between me and the PML-N leaders… I went there to offer my condolences on the demise of Ch Nisar’s mother,” he said. Responding to allegations of becoming another Farooq Leghari, Qureshi said there was no similarity between him and the former president as the he had dismissed the government of his own party.
“If I did something against my party, I am ready to be held accountable to the PPP and its workers,” he said. He also referred to news reports suggesting that he was dancing to the tunes of the establishment.
“Had I been dancing to the tunes of the establishment, I would have joined the bandwagon of General [Pervez] Musharraf. Not only the late Farooq Leghari had offered me ministerial slot, former prime minister Shaukat Aziz had also visited Multan to extend a similar offer to me. Late Rao Sikandar Iqbal had also offered me to join the PPP Patriots but nothing could tempt me to ditch my leader Benazir Bhutto,” he said.
He said he had also conveyed to US Senator John Kerry in his meeting with him that the policy (of the government) was that Davis’ issue be resolved through courts and this was also conveyed to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“Clinton called me on January 28 and I informed her that I was aware of her anxiety and concern. I told her I was also cognizant of how important the relationship was between the two countries, but I told her this was a very sensitive issue, and we should talk to handle it,” he said. He said he respected the president and the prime minister.
“I have a good relationship with the president and the prime minister based on mutual respect. I am also not an ungrateful person. I am not a person who will sacrifice personal relationships for timely gains,” he said, adding that the prime minister would testify that he was offered the portfolio of the Water and Power Ministry but he had rejected this offer and had reasons for his decision.
