Clinton pressurised me to grant diplomatic immunity to Davis: Qureshi
February 13th, 2011 - 2:28 pm ICT by ANILahore, Feb 13(ANI): Former Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had pressurised him to sign a summary giving diplomatic immunity to double-murder accused American official Raymond Davis, but he refused to oblige.
Talking to officials during his farewell visit to the Foreign Ministry, Qureshi said Clinton had telephoned and exerted pressure on him to confirm Davis’ diplomatic immunity, Dunya News reports.
The ex-minister also said that US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter also telephoned him from Washington and warned that Clinton would not have a meeting with Qureshi in Munich if Davis’ diplomatic immunity were not confirmed.
It is noteworthy that earlier this month, the US had denied reports that it had put all bilateral contacts with Pakistan on hold until Islamabad releases Davis.
“We continue contact with Pakistan to express the importance of resolving the case of a U.S. diplomat in accordance with international law,” US Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.
Crowley’s tweet came hours after media reports that Clinton had cancelled a meeting with the then Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi at an international security conference in Munich to protest the arrested US diplomat’s detention.
Despite the US insisting that Pakistan should free Davis as he is entitled to “full immunity from criminal prosecution by Pakistan” under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, he was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days on Friday, with the next hearing due on February 25. (ANI)
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- Clinton 'forced' Qureshi to grant immunity to Davis - Feb 13, 2011
- US denies suspending all bilateral contacts with Pakistan on Raymond Davis issue - Feb 09, 2011
- Double murder-accused US official 'not immune from criminal prosecution': Qureshi - Feb 24, 2011
- Raymond has diplomatic immunity: Pakistan's ruling party - Feb 14, 2011
- Davis case mishandled by interior ministry: Qureshi (Lead) - Feb 24, 2011
- Double murder-accused American has "no complete immunity": Qureshi - Feb 16, 2011
- US, Pakistan contacts now confined to Davis's release - Feb 09, 2011
- US regrets widow's suicide but insists Pak frees murder-accused diplomat - Feb 08, 2011
- Court moved to prevent Pak govt from providing Davis with immunity from sentence - Feb 15, 2011
- US mounts pressure on Pakistan to release 'illegally detained' murder-accused diplomat - Feb 08, 2011
- Davis case adjourned till March 14 after Pak FM seeks more time to reply on his status - Feb 17, 2011
- Qureshi questions Pak Govt's 3-week-time plea in court to reply on Davis' immunity - Feb 19, 2011
- US calls off Afghan-Pak trilateral meeting in retaliation to Davis detention issue - Feb 13, 2011
- US puts all bilateral contacts with Pak on hold until release of murder-accused diplomat - Feb 08, 2011
Tags: assistant secretary, cameron munter, criminal prosecution, crowley, diplomat, diplomatic immunity, double murder, foreign minister, foreign ministry, hillary clinton, international security conference, judicial custody, lahore, mahmood qureshi, public affairs, raymond davis, secretary of state, shah mahmood, tweet, vienna convention on diplomatic relations