Former foreign minister of Pakistan Shah Mehmood Qureshi addressed a press conference just now and was live broad casted on all the private television channels. The issue was Pakistan foreign policy and Ramond Davis case
Here are my comments
It was a typical state of mind of Pakistan People’s Party leadership towards the issues. It was an effort by a recently removed foreign minister to keep his option open. He was full of contradiction on many accounts. On one side he wants to take his job back and for that reason he was praising the president and prime minister of Pakistan. He was praising those who have refused to take him back as foreign minister in the new cabinet. The reason is that it is the two who can bring him back as foreign minister.
And in case of rejection, he wants to become a hero in the eyes of Pakistani and was playing with anti imperialist feelings of Pakistani people. For that he was telling the story of a meeting on 31st January where foreign and interior ministry alongside with a third institution (he did not name the third one, it would be the ISI or any other army institution) where it was made clear that Ramond Davis has no full immunity.
He did not present his mind on the killings of the three Pakistanis by Ramond Davis and told what was already known. He told that he wants a respectable solution. He praised Senator John Kerry and also the American help in Pakistan and all he was saying that they are not treating Pakistanis with respect. He also said that Pakistan has signed on different international treaties. And that we should follow those treaties.
What is this respectable solution? Was asked by a journalist, he refused to answer and said that when the concerned institutions will ask, I will reply. Then my comment is that why he mentioned a respectable solution when he does want to give detail. This was typical bargaining strategy by many capitalist politicians in past and he is no better than those.
Shah Mehmood presented his views intelligently and that shows that anyone who can reason (even for wrong reasons) in PPP are not accepted anymore. His praise of president Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was his last effort to patch up, once this opportunity is gone, he will change his tone about them as well.
Our position on the killings of three Pakistanis in Lahore by American national Ramond Davis
American imperialism is killing Pakistanis every day in drone attacks in Tribal areas and in different parts of Khaiber Puktoonkhawa on the name of curbing terrorism. This time a naked brutal killing took place in Lahore. We condemn this killing and also those killed by Drone attacks. The religious fanatics and the extreme right wing forces are exploiting these incidents to promote their political agenda. In response they encourage bombing, killings, destruction of girl’s schools, suicidal attacks and an intolerant society. We condemn these bombings and killings by the religious fanatics as well. This is not anti imperialism. This is anti America. We are not anti America. We are anti imperialism. We are against both and also those who side with them for any justification.
We have all the sympathy with the families of three Pakistanis killed in Lahore and condemn this brutal action. We believe that even a diplomatic immunity for the killers is a wrong treaty. No one has right to kill anyone. David Ramond who killed three Pakistanis should be tried in a Pakistani court and all the facts should be brought to public notice even if Ramond has diplomatic immunity. There is no justification for killings.
In the light of this case, the diplomatic immunity treaty should be re-discussed. No killer should walk free because because of this treaty.