Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani categorically informed the National Assembly on Wednesday that his government will follow the decision of the court in the matter of Raymond Davis, US national charged with killing two men in Lahore.
"The matter is sub judice and we will accept whatever decision is rendered by the court," said the Prime Minister. Pakistan is a sovereign country, has a sovereign Constitution, Parliament, independent judiciary, media and a vibrant civil society. "We will not earn disrespect for the country," he added.
Responding to the leader of the opposition, Chaudhry Nisar Ali's revelation that the Center asked the Punjab government to deal with the Davis issue for two days after the incident, Prime Minister Gilani replied that the incident took place within the jurisdiction of the Punjab government and added that the Chief Minister of the province updated him on the matter 'and his meeting with foreign diplomats.'
Earlier, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had stated that "we (Punjab government) had been officially asked to provide a reason for opposing diplomatic immunity as federal government had no objection." "Punjab government had taken a stand and will stick to it," said Nisar. The provincial government had stated that the matter would be decided in accordance with the law by the courts.
"What kind of system of governance is it that the federal government is on a different page from the provincial government," said Chaudhry Nisar as he explained that the issuance of any visa is not a provincial subject. Leader of the opposition said he had received the information that the US Embassy had written to the Foreign Office for issuance of a non-diplomatic card for Raymond Davis. Since this request is part of the record, I wonder 'why the federal government is unable to explain it to the US ambassador in a decent way,' he added.
"We do not want the government to engage in confrontation with the US but we want it to deal with the issue with dignity and decency," he said. He censured the federal government for not having dealt with the matter appropriately and asked where was the government when the US embassy demanded the immediate release of Davis claiming he was illegally detained.
He said that it was ridiculous that the identity of the American was yet to be established. He should be treated in accordance with the status he had prior to the incident and in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961, Nisar added.
Referring to his earlier speeches in the National Assembly regarding his apprehension of foreigners who were allowed to roam free, he said no action was taken even after three US soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack on an inaugural ceremony of a school in Dir last year. Americans are not responsible for this incident but the federal government is, Nisar said and asked "as to why Pakistani Ambassador to the US was allowed to issue visas?"