Haqqani to go, Assef new foreign minister: report

DOHA: A Doha based newspaper Gulf Times in its 26th March edition has said that Pakistan's ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani may not be offered a new contract after the expiry of his current agreement in May.

The paper said: "In the wake of the settlement of the row between Pakistan and the US over CIA contractor Raymond Davis, Pakistan's ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani, is likely to be replaced after expiration of his tenure in May this year, sources said yesterday".

'In a significant development, the vacant slot of foreign minister may soon be given to Assef Ahmed Ali, a senior PPP leader and former education minister.'

Ambassador Haqqani is blamed for issuing hundreds of visas to the likes of Davis, a CIA contractor arrested in Lahore in January for killing two Pakistanis, without caring for the prescribed rules and regulations such as the vetting of applications by Pakistani security agencies, the paper reported.