Safe exit: Raymond Davis saga a disgrace, says Asif

Expresses readiness to ‘cooperate in any inquiry’ on the matter

ISLAMABAD: People who worked for providing safe exit to CIA contractor Raymond Davis disgraced Pakistan and disrespected national integrity and honour, Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Friday.

Davis was arrested in January 2011 on charges of murdering two Pakistani citizens in Lahore, but was released in less than two months after payment of Diyat, or blood money, to the families of the deceased persons. The court then acquitted Davis and he departed Pakistan.

Speaking on the floor of the Senate, the foreign minister said the compensation amount had been paid by the Government of Pakistan, but added, “God knows who paid this amount. There is a need to conduct an investigation in this regard.”

Expressing his readiness to “cooperate in any inquiry” on the matter, he said several people were involved in securing Davis’s release, which was a clear disrespect to the country’s dignity, adding that people who played any role in his release had a vested interest.

Asif was responding to a call-attention notice on the matter submitted by Hafiz Hamdullah of the JUI-F to discuss the Davis’s book that narrated the story of his much-publicised arrest in Pakistan and subsequent release. Davis, in his book, alleged that Pakistan’s then ISI chief Shuja Pasha facilitated his acquittal from court.

Asif, meanwhile, said probing the issue of Davis’s repatriation would result in nothing else than stirring a controversy, causing national embarrassment. Such incidents, he added, would continue to happen unless the supremacy of parliament was ensured.



He said all institutions should be held answerable to parliament, adding that nobody could evade accountability conducted by parliament. He said if parliament sought to investigate the Davis’s matter, he would offer full support.

The minister said holding secret or public investigation into the matter would have separate advantages, but political point-scoring on the matter would not be productive.

During the proceedings of the Senate, Chairman Raza Rabbani stopped PTI’s Mohsin Aziz from speaking about former ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani. The chairman believed that discussing Haqqani in the Senate would unduly increase his stature. He said the PPP had already disassociated itself from him.

The Election Bill 2017 for amending and consolidating laws relating to the conduct of elections was also introduced in the Senate on Friday. The bill was already adopted by the National Assembly.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmad also introduced ‘The Public Interest Disclosures Bill, 2017’, envisaging a mechanism for public interest disclosures and protection of persons making such disclosures. Both bills were referred to the respective Senate’s standing committees.

Earlier, the House passed two bills. The first ‘The National School of Public Policy (Amendment) Bill, 2017’ amends the National School of Public Policy Ordinance of 2002.



The second bill titled ‘The Compulsory Teaching of the Holy Quran Bill, 2017’ provides for making teaching of the Holy Quran to all Muslim students in all educational institutions compulsory.

The bills were moved by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab Ahmed.

The Senate paid rich tribute to renowned poet Ahmed Faraz on his death anniversary.

Later, the House was adjourned to meet again on Monday at 5pm.