CAIRO: The US government did not pay any compensation to the families of two Pakistanis killed by Raymond Davis, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday.

She said the US did not pay to win Davis's release, but she didn't dispute that the men's families were compensated.

The amount and source of money paid to the families is not yet completely clear.

Asked who paid the families, she replied: “You will have to ask the families.”

Asked if the Pakistani government had paid compensation, the US secretary of state said: “you will have to ask the Pakistani government.”

Clinton, however, said the United States was “very grateful” for the family pardon that led to the release of Davis.

The White House also welcomed the release of Davis. White House spokesman Jay Carney said he has no information to confirm that more than $2 million in ''blood money'' was paid to the families of the victims.

Asked about comments by lawyers for the victims' families that they were paid by either the US government or the Pakistani government, Carney said: ''I don't have any information that would corroborate that.''

Meanwhile, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry in a statement pledged to strengthen United States' relationship with Pakistan .

“This was a very important and necessary step for both of our countries to be able to maintain our relationship and remain focused on progress on bedrock national interests,” said the senator, hours after the release of Davis.

“As I said last month in my visits to Lahore and Islamabad, we deeply regret the loss of life that led to this difficulty in our relationship and the demonstrations on Pakistan's streets, but neither country could afford for this tragedy to derail our vital relationship.

“We look forward to working with Pakistan to strengthen our relationship and confront our common challenges,” added the senator.