Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi paid the price for not toeing the ruling party's line on providing diplomatic immunity to the jailed US official Raymond Davis, facing a murder charge for shooting down two Pakistanis in Lahore.
Mr Qureshi, who was dropped from his high-profile foreign affairs portfolio, was one of two persons who were "on the wrong side of the prevalent dominant wisdom and desire of somehow finding a way to retrospectively cough up diplomatic immunity for Davis" during a meeting held in the presidency a few days ago to discuss the case, The News daily reported.
"An adamant Qureshi, who had strongly argued the case that (Davis) did not enjoy unlimited diplomatic immunity under law, flatly refused and even said that if need be, he'd rather resign than become an accessory to multiple murder," the paper claimed.
The newspaper did not identify the other person who was against granting immunity to Davis but the report implied that he was Inter-Services Intelligence agency chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha.
"But since one of the 'erring' two dared not be arbitrarily fired, poor Mr Qureshi’s fate stood sealed," the paper said.
The "highly secretive" meeting, convened by President Asif Ali Zardari, was also attended by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, law minister Babar Awan and interior minister Rehman Malik.
The meeting focussed on the issue of Davis and Pakistan-US relations.
Mr Qureshi skipped the swearing-in ceremony for Gilani's new cabinet yesterday after he learnt that he would not be reallocated the foreign affairs portfolio.
It had earlier been announced on state-run television that he would be among the ministers to be administered the oath by the President.
Davis was arrested in Lahore on January 27 after he shot and killed two men who he claimed were trying to rob him.
The Police on Friday rejected his claim that he had acted in self-defence and accused him of "intentional and cold-blooded murder".
A third Pakistani was killed when he was hit by a US consulate car rushing to aid Davis.
The US has ramped up pressure on Pakistan to free Davis on the ground that he has diplomatic immunity.
Reports have said that the US has also suspended all high-level contacts with Pakistan.
During the gathering at the presidency to discuss the issue of Davis, Zardari was given an "exhaustive overview of the entire situation but quite early in the meeting it became evident that two of the men" opposed to finding a way to grant diplomatic immunity to the US official, The News reported.