In an official announcement from the Prime Minister House, the prime minister said in Davis case, the country’s leadership including the opposition had reached a consensus that the final decision would be taken by the court. “This consensus was also in line with the public sentiments at large and the court decided in favour of release of the detainee which has been implemented,” he said.

It was first official reaction from the federal government after the release of the American killer Raymond Davis who was released after paying blood money to the families of the killed Pakistanis.

The prime minister also reacted to the criticism made in debates on the top security institutions of the country and said it is inappropriate to hold any single institution responsible for the final outcome of the case.

Prior to issuance of the statement from the Prime Minister House, Gilani held a consultative meeting with senior leaders of the PPP and his cabinet members to carve out the government strategy to defend the court decision and to protect the institutions of the country.

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Mian Raza Rabbani, Minister for Law and Justice Babar Awan, Minister for Privatisation Syed Naveed Qamar, former ministers Nazar Muhammad Gondal and Raja Pervez Ashraf attended the meeting.

According to sources, the meeting that lasted for about two hours decided that all the constitutional institutions would be defended in the wake of severe public criticism on Raymondís release. Sources said the prime minister asked PPP leaders and cabinet members to avoid making any political statements against the other parties, especially Punjab government.

Prime Minister Gilani told the meeting that despite financial constraints, the government is making concerted efforts to provide relief to the people through effective economic measures. He stressed the need for better coordination among the ministries to achieve sustainable economic growth through efficient utilisation of the available resources.

The prime minister while discussing next two years roadmap of development and governance of his government asked the ministers to take the input of parliamentarians regarding development projects in their respective areas which would greatly help the government in evaluating the viability of the projects. The prime minister said the politics of reconciliation is the only way forward to face the current challenges. He reiterated the government’s determination to take along the leadership of all the political parties in deciding major issues of the country.