Davis case: Pak govt exploring ''blood money'' option

Qureshi, who skipped the swearing-in ceremony for Gilani''s new Cabinet after the PPP decided not to reallocatehim the foreign affairs portfolio, said he had been told byForeign Office officials it would not be possible to grantimmunity to Davis.

Following Qureshi''s remarks, the "focus appears tobe shifting from immunity for US national Raymond Davis to apossible blood money deal for ending the row," the Dawnnewspaper quoted its sources as saying.

A diplomatic source told the newspaper that the twocountries were considering "a face-saving compromise in whichthe US government apologises to the heirs of the victims, payscompensation and promises to investigate the incident as acriminal matter."

Kerry too announced in Pakistan that the US Department ofJustice will conduct a criminal investigation into theshooting.

The diplomatic source told the daily that heirs ofthe victims had been contacted but they initially turned downthe offer and insisted on Davis'' trial.

The blood money deal was complicated by the suicide ofShumaila, the widow of Muhammad Fahim, one of the two menkilled by Davis.

An unnamed US official too told the daily that a "bloodmoney" deal is "one of the options on the table."

However, relatives of the two men killed by Davis havetold the media in Lahore that they rejected the idea of''Diyat'' or compensation and wanted the American to bepunished.

Muhammad Wasim, the brother of Fahim, said his familywanted "blood for blood."

Imran Haider � the brother of Faizan Haider, theother man shot dead by Davis, too said his family was againstthe idea of compensation.

Imran told the media that he wanted Davis to be "hangedfor murder."

Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf party leader Tariq Chaudhrytold reporters that businessmen and industrialists werewilling to support the families of the dead men if they didnot accept compensation from the US.