Khosa, Awan defend Davis’ release

PPP members say no force made the victims’ families accept the blood money deal.

LAHORE:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPPP) on Sunday openly defended the release of Raymond Davis and avoided criticising the Punjab government and urged agitating political parties not to politicise a court judgment.

Defending the PPP’s stance on the issue, Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khan Khosa and federal Law Minister Babar Awan ruled out on Sunday the use of any force in connection with the deal.

Highlighting the judiciary’s independence, Khosa said that the families of the Lahore shootout victims had not been pressed to accept the blood money. He said that the court had ruled after the families of victims accepted Rs200 million in diyat under the Shariah.

Citing a reference from Holy Quran, he said that it was better to accept blood money and forgive the accused, adding that the deceased “will never return”.  He said that in a 1990 ruling of the Supreme Court, the then government had inducted Shariah laws in 302 of the PPC.

He said that earlier, the Federal Shariat Court had directed that 302 of the PPC should be amended under the same laws.

He said that so Diyat “is allowable under Islamic and domestic laws”.

No pressure was brought to bear upon the judge, he said. “He took four hours to settle the matter by inquiring from the aggrieved family members individually and collectively.”

He said that it was the right of heirs and it was a good step in resolving a blood feud. He said that Diyat “creates the circumstance of peace and harmony”.

When questioned about the source of the money paid to the relatives of the shootout victims, he replied that Davis’ relatives “may have managed the amount”.

“Diyat can be applied even on the gallows,” the law minister said.

He said: “No one can force 19 persons to sign documents or conceal them anywhere (without their consent) in the 21st Century.”

He said that it was the function of investigative journalist to find the whereabouts of the heirs of Faizan and Faheem, the victims of the Qartaba Chowk firing incident.

Anyone having any objection on the Davis’ release should move higher courts. He said that people who are criticising the Punjab government for not trying Davis under anti-terrorism laws or for spying and Fasad Fil Arz should read the detailed judgment of the court where “all questions have been comprehensively addressed”.

Asked about the status of the so-called ‘unification bloc’, Khosa said that he would act under the law and would “never administer oath to them”.

He said that their case was already being heard by the Chief Election Commissioner and he could not make any comment on it. He said that he disliked demonstrations either in favour or against court verdicts.

The judiciary is a constitutional institution and it has wielded its constitutional and legal powers.

He avoided to reply any question on the Punjab government’s claims of good governance and the PML-N’s stance on Davis.

Referring to the presidential address to the joint sitting of parliament, he said that the president would definitely address the session and if some political parties wanted to stage protests or boycott the session, it “is their parliamentary right to do so during the address”.

He said that PPP was determined to promote the policy of reconciliation and in this regard his party had appointed the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. He said that it was because of this policy that the PAC has up till now recovered Rs68 billion from various defaulters when all banks have failed to do so.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2011.