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Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Govt finalises strategy to give immunity to Davis
Updated at 1110 PST Wednesday, February 16, 2011
By Mazhar Tufail
ISLAMABAD: The federal government has finalised its strategy to grant diplomatic immunity to Raymond Davis, an American national currently under detention for alleged double murder in Lahore in broad daylight on January 27, it was learnt here on Tuesday.
As word official is mentioned in the visa stamped on the passport held by Raymond Davis and when the court will question the federal government about the status of the American national, the Attorney General will appear before the court to certify on behalf of the federal government that Davis had reached Pakistan on official visa and he enjoys diplomatic immunity, an official source told The News, requesting anonymity.
The source disclosed that various legal eagles are busy in consultations in the Ministry of Law to sort out this thorny issue so that if some important legal points are raised when the government submits a certificate of diplomatic immunity to Davis in the court, the legal experts can prove through arguments that diplomatic immunity was being granted to the American national without any pressure.
The federal government is currently under immense pressure with regard to the Davis case. It is now being whispered in the Foreign Office that the case being in the court, now all responsibility is on the shoulders of the federal government, particularly the Ministry of Law, said the source.
It is widely believed now in the Foreign Office that only the Ministry of Law is competent now to comment on the case and to formally announce the governments decision about grant of immunity to Davis or otherwise, he added.
This correspondent made several attempts for comments of the Law Ministry but no response was received. One senior official, however, confirmed on condition of anonymity that consultations are currently going on in the ministry on the Davis case. But the official avoided further comments, saying the Law Ministry is making efforts to prepare a response to any court query keeping in view all the national and international laws. Therefore, it is premature to say on which legal points the issue will be resolved, he added.
Meanwhile, some Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders close to the power corridors told The News requesting anonymity that the government is very nervous these days as it has never been in the past three years of its tenure. They said there is an immense pressure on the PPP from the US.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=11230
Updated at 1110 PST Wednesday, February 16, 2011

By Mazhar Tufail
ISLAMABAD: The federal government has finalised its strategy to grant diplomatic immunity to Raymond Davis, an American national currently under detention for alleged double murder in Lahore in broad daylight on January 27, it was learnt here on Tuesday.
As word official is mentioned in the visa stamped on the passport held by Raymond Davis and when the court will question the federal government about the status of the American national, the Attorney General will appear before the court to certify on behalf of the federal government that Davis had reached Pakistan on official visa and he enjoys diplomatic immunity, an official source told The News, requesting anonymity.
The source disclosed that various legal eagles are busy in consultations in the Ministry of Law to sort out this thorny issue so that if some important legal points are raised when the government submits a certificate of diplomatic immunity to Davis in the court, the legal experts can prove through arguments that diplomatic immunity was being granted to the American national without any pressure.
The federal government is currently under immense pressure with regard to the Davis case. It is now being whispered in the Foreign Office that the case being in the court, now all responsibility is on the shoulders of the federal government, particularly the Ministry of Law, said the source.
It is widely believed now in the Foreign Office that only the Ministry of Law is competent now to comment on the case and to formally announce the governments decision about grant of immunity to Davis or otherwise, he added.
This correspondent made several attempts for comments of the Law Ministry but no response was received. One senior official, however, confirmed on condition of anonymity that consultations are currently going on in the ministry on the Davis case. But the official avoided further comments, saying the Law Ministry is making efforts to prepare a response to any court query keeping in view all the national and international laws. Therefore, it is premature to say on which legal points the issue will be resolved, he added.
Meanwhile, some Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders close to the power corridors told The News requesting anonymity that the government is very nervous these days as it has never been in the past three years of its tenure. They said there is an immense pressure on the PPP from the US.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=11230