Former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has met PPP central leader Raza Rabbani and apprised him of the real causes behind his differences with the party leadership.
The sources close to Raza Rabbani disclosed that Qureshi told him that he had developed differences with President Asif Zardari on the issue of Raymond Davis rather than change of ministry. Qureshi said he was pressurised at a high-level meeting at Aiwan-e-Sadr that he should issue a certificate of diplomatic immunity to Raymond Davis and direct the Foreign Ministry not to create hurdles to the matter. The president, the prime minister, the then law minister Babar Awan and Interior Minister Rehman Malik were present at the meeting, he stated. Qureshi said he refused to do so, saying it would be breach of diplomatic norms and law of the land if he did so. The Foreign Ministry had also given briefing to him that Raymond Davis enjoyed no diplomatic immunity, therefore, he could not support him, he added. His “No” offended President Zardari and his ministry was changed, later, without informing him.
Qureshi told Rabbani that the US was mounting pressure directly on him, President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani on the issue of Raymond Davis. The then law minister Babar Awan had prepared the summary with regard to the grant of immunity and the interior minister also supported it, he stated.
He complained that the party leadership made the outsiders of the party give statements against him through media and he was not invited to the CEC meeting. The prime minister even did not bother to make a telephonic call to him what to speak of holding a meeting with him.
Qureshi warned PML-Q’s joining the government would ruin the PPP, adding he was not sure of the party’s success in the coming elections as the outsiders were running the party.
Qureshi made it clear he would not join PML-N or any other party despite his differences with the party leadership and continue to raise the voice of truth.
