Khawaja Asif calls for investigation into Raymond Davis acquittal

ISLAMABAD - After accusing former PPP's ambassador to US Hussain Haqqani of authoring US President Donald Trump speech, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday said that an inquiry should be launched into acquittal of Raymond Davis, who had killed two men in 2011 in Lahore, if the parliament wants so.

According to local media, he claimed that blood money was paid by the state of Pakistan, adding that different persons who may have interests attached to it played role in the release of US agent. He refused the involvement of any institution in it.

While speaking to the Senate on a calling attention notice presented by Hafiz Hamdullah and Azam Swati following Davis claims in his book, he added that release of Davis was against national dignity.

"I am ready to extend support for investigation," he said, adding that investigation should be conducted to overcome such kind of incidents in future not for political point scoring.

He said that in-camera or public investigation into the case would be beneficial.

In 2011, when government of PPP was in power, Raymond Allen Davis was contractor with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) when he gunned down two men in Lahore. A car coming to rescue Davis killed a third man, Ibadur Rahman, in a hit-and-run.

On March 16, 2011, the Pakistan court released Davis after the families of the two killed men were paid $2.4 million as blood money. Judges then acquitted him on all charges and Davis immediately returned to the United States.

Davis' Memoir

Years after of his acquittal, Raymond Davis released a memoir Titled The Cont­ractor: How I Landed in a Pakistani Prison and Ignited a Diplomatic Crisis, in which he exposed the role of state institutions and persons who helped him to fly off to US settling the murder case using the Sharia law.

Davis writes that the plan of him leaving Pakistan had been made several weeks before his final appearance in the court, originated perhaps in a meeting between Secretary Kerry and Ambassador Haqqani four weeks earlier.

Davis also refers to another report, which says that this plan was devised during a meeting between Gen Pasha and Ambassador Munter.