PPP spokesperson resigns over Davis remarks

Islamabad, Feb 19 (PTI) The spokesperson of Pakistan''sruling PPP, Fauzia Wahab, resigned today days after airing herviews favouring diplomatic immunity for arrested US officialRaymond Davis.

Wahab told a press conference that she was resigningfrom the position for "personal reasons," Dawn news reported.

The PPP spokesperson had in a press conference onMonday said that Davis had a diplomatic visa and he couldneither be arrested nor kept in custody under the ViennaConvention.

However, she said today that her statement did notreflect the policy of the Pakistan People''s Party but were herpersonal views. Wahab said she will continue working for theparty.

"He (Davis) is a technical member of the US embassy''sdiplomatic staff and according to Pakistani laws, any diplomatand technical or administrative staff cannot be arrested ortaken into custody," she had told reporters on February 14.

The paper said quoting its sources that the party haddecided to replace Wahab with former information ministerQamar Zaman Kaira.

The issue of the arrest of Davis has erupted into amajor conflict between the US and Pakistan, with the latterrejecting persistent US calls to release the official.

Davis on January 25 allegedly shot dead two Pakistanimen, who he claimed were trying to rob him.

However, the Lahore police told the court that it wasa cold-blooded muder and there was no evidence to substantiatethe claim that the killing happened in self defence.

The Pakistan government is under pressure due tostrong anti-American sentiment at home. Former foreignminister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who has maintained that Davisdoes not qualify for blanket immunity, has also questioned thegovernment''s handling of the case immunity. PTI