The singer was detained on February 13 at Indira Gandhi International Airport. Besides Rahat, his manager Maroof, owner of an event management company Chitresh Shrivastava, and two employees of Mumbai-based Foreign Exchange firm were detained and have been questioned at length about the source of the money.

Qureshi said that after studying the Vienna Conventions of 1961 and 1963 and Pakistan’s Diplomatic Law of 1972, one could conclude that “the blanket immunity as being demanded by the US embassy was not valid”.

He said that after seeing relevant documents, it was his “considered opinion” that Davis did not enjoy diplomatic immunity. He had informed the Core Committee of the Pakistan People’s Party of his view on the subject.

He said an inter-ministerial meeting had also endorsed this point of view. Qureshi said that his stance on the Davis issue was principled and that he would stand by his position. He said that for him Pakistan’s sovereignty and dignity were most important and that if need be he would apprise the people of Pakistan of more facts.

Qureshi, who stepped down earlier this month during a Cabinet reshuffle but retains influence, reiterated this stance after a meeting with Chairman US Foreign Relations Committee John Kerry — an indication that the American politician may have a rocky time convincing Pakistan to free 36-year-old Raymond Davis, a US consulate employee who shot and killed two Pakistani men in Lahore last month in what he said was a robbery attempt.

Second, at a time the judiciary is questioning the role of the political government in managing the permanent executive and demanding answers as to why certain state-appointed officials are given extensions or contract jobs, it ill behoves the judiciary to be seen to be favouring its own. For his meritorious and stellar service to the judiciary and the people of Pakistan, Justice Ramday in particular deserves praise. But institutions are best strengthened by denying the myth of indispensability. Justice Ramday has already received a one-year extension, which is to expire today. Every institution, be it uniformed, robed or civilian, must learn to move on from the era of even the greatest servants of the people.

Third, the country has seen in recent months how maturity on the political and judicial sides helped avert a ‘clash’ of institutions — and all sides have a responsibility to ensure the more amicable climate holds. The superior judiciary today is one of the freest and most independent in this country’s history and clearly enjoys the support of the people. In a country where institution-building has been ignored, and at times scuttled by self-interest, the present superior judiciary represents the best chance to build a solid, responsible and competent institution responsive to the needs of the citizenry. So anything which detracts from that perception and the ultimate mission of institution-building ought not to be welcomed.

Source

Pakistan’s ties with the United States have gone into crisis since police arrested Raymond Davis, who confessed to killing two men in self-defence on a busy street in the eastern city of Lahore on January 27.

Washington supports his claim and says he is a diplomat who should be released immediately in keeping with international law.

“We have always abided by international laws and conventions,” Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) spokeswoman Fauzia Wahab told reporters in Karachi. “Davis has an official business visa, so why argue and why we are risking our overall good reputation before the rest of the world?”

“America is the largest market for Pakistan, with whom we earn four billion dollars. Most Pakistanis who live in the United States send bulk of remittances to us to support our economy,” said Wahab.

The DRI has impounded Khan’s passport along with the passports of his two associates Mahroof and Chitresh, who also have been set free.  According to reports, Khan and his associates have been asked to appear for questioning before the DRI on February 17.

The DRI is set to estimate the fine to be paid by the Pakistani singer. Earlier today, revenue intelligence officials questioned the singer extensively to find out where the money came from and why it was not declared.

Khan was detained on Sunday for allegedly attempting to leave the country with over 124,000 dollars. Indian laws allow up to 5,000 dollars in cash, or 10,000 dollars in traveller’s cheques to be taken abroad. Khan, along with his troupe of about 20 people, was scheduled to fly to Lahore on a Emirates flight after a series of performances in India.

They said the singer was carrying a huge amount of foreign currency which he did not declare to the immigration authorities. Two other persons accompanying him have also been detained, the sources said. Khan is being questioned and the amount of the money is being ascertained, they said.

The 37-year-old is nephew of Pakistani singing legend Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Three people, including a 17-year-old boy, were killed when Indian forces fired live ammunition to disperse protesters in Palhalan, a village north of Srinagar, said a police officer. Local residents said there was no clash with the troops, but soldiers fired when the protesters refused to disperse. The state government has ordered a probe into the shooting incident. “A clash had occurred near a highway in the morning and much after that we were peacefully protesting in the village,” said resident Merajuddin.

Later, as news of the shooting spread, thousands of people from Palhalan and neighboring villages chanting “Go India, go back” and “We want freedom” marched to a nearby highway and blocked it. Police and paramilitary soldiers fired warning shots and tear gas to quell those protests, said the officer. There were no reports of injuries.

It said a live TV fund raising campaign was being run on several Emirati television channels. Pakistan has a close ties with the oil-rich Emirates, where hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis live and work, mostly laborers.

For nearly a month, torrential monsoon rain has triggered massive floods in Pakistan steadily moving from north to south, affecting a fifth of the country — an area roughly the size of England — and 17 million people.

A senior US official said last week that countries worldwide have pledged a total of more than 700 million dollars toward flood relief in Pakistan.

Take the example of conditions at relief camps across the country. The major challenge is the provision of food, shelter and medical care. But as reports have made clear, even the provision of these basic needs is proving to be an uphill task for the government. For one thing, the small number of government employees manning the ever-swelling flood relief camps is causing bottlenecks in their smooth functioning. For example at one Karachi camp, 2,000 internally displaced persons are being managed by a staff of four. The camps are overcrowded and while people have food and medicines, clothes and proper bedding at several places are unavailable. People are also reportedly taking more food than required, adding to shortages for others. There are reports of substandard food being served at some camps in Sindh while in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tents are unavailable in certain areas. Malakand is said to be in particularly bad shape. In southern Punjab observers say the looting of relief trucks is resulting in supplies not reaching the neediest segments.

The situation — difficult as it is — requires proper planning and sensitivity in equal measure. The government should increase the manpower assigned to each camp. We must also realise that most of the flood-affected people have lost everything; hence they are suffering from considerable mental trauma. Victims thus need to be dealt with compassionately, while efforts need to be made to educate them about personal hygiene and the unfairness of taking more food or supplies than needed. (Source Dawn)