RAWALPINDI, Feb 23: Former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday said that only honest, clean and dedicated leadership could pull the country out of the current financial crisis.Addressing the Rawalpindi District Bar Association he said Pakistan had the potential to become financially strong country and subsequently make independent foreign policy.

Despite the all resources and wealth Pakistan is being kept underdeveloped and only the dedicated leadership can put the country on the road to progress. He at the same time urged the people to vote for honest and upright candidates in the next elections.

Regarding diplomatic row between Pakistan and the US, Mr Qureshi said Raymond Davis did not enjoy blanket immunity, and he had explicitly conveyed to the Americans that the matter was of sensitive nature with far reaching repercussions. In response to a question Qureshi said he would appear before the Lahore High Court if asked and would resist any move to prepare fake diplomatic documents to obtain immunity for Davis and inform the court about the stance he took as foreign minister on the issue.

“My stance has now become public after the American media has made the actual status of Davis public declaring him CIA operative. Now the issue has become more complicated as it was mishandled by some quarters,” said Shah Mehnood who was accompanied by his younger brother.

At one occasion when the lawyers chanted slogans against President Asif Ali Zardari the former minister stopped them saying he was speaking about an issue of serious nature.

“If I speak they will say I speak against them” was the response of Shah Mehmood Qureshi when some members of the bar drew towards the fact that only two families were heading two major parities in the country and the electorate had not choice but to vote for them.