Pakistan: Protests Against Impunity for US Diplomat Raymond Davis

On January 27, In broad day light, an alleged American security official, Raymond Davis was found wandering around on the busy roads of Lahore in a private car. Besides carrying arms Raymond was also found carrying wireless phones and other devices. Making the best use of his weapons, Raymond opened fire at two alleged robbers. Not just that, as he could not flee from the scene, a 4WD vehicle arrived and tried to rescue Raymond from the mob that started to gather there. The vehicle ran over a motorcycle and a rickshaw, thus killing another person and injured several citizens.

Hamza Malik at The True Perspective reports the story in his own words:

One such tragic and truly heart rending tale occurred yesterday when an American diplomat called Raymond Davis shot at and killed two young men – Faizan and Faheem at a traffic signal on Qartaba Chowk in Lahore. While the killer tried to flee from the shooting scene, his companions following him in a Land Cruiser entered the wrong side of the road and hit a motorcyclist killing him on the spot and injured another pedestrian seriously.

He expresses his concerns with these words:

And just as I was about to revel in the fact that justice might indeed be served, out came the news that he had been shifted to an undisclosed location. That undisclosed location is most probably his home in the United States and consequently once again the abhorred level of police professionalism came to the fore.

Activist group ‘Pasban Pakistan’ protests against American diplomatic staff Raymond Davis at the Karachi Press Club in Pakistan. Davis, is under investigation for the double murder of two Pakistani motorcyclists in Karachi, Pakistan. Copyright Demotix.

The story got controversial to a huge extent when the US Embassy asked for the release of Raymond Davis, citing that according to the international laws, he enjoys the diplomatic immunity. Rai Muhammad Saleh Azam quotes from the US Embassy's press release at Teeth Maestro blog:

It may be pertinent to note that the U.S. Embassy’s press release of 29 January 2011 makes the following, rather surprising, claim:

“On January 27, the diplomat acted in self-defense when confronted by two armed men on motorcycles. The diplomat had every reason to believe that the armed men meant him bodily harm. Minutes earlier, the two men, who had criminal backgrounds, had robbed money and valuables at gunpoint from a Pakistani citizen in the same area.”

The case took depressing turn when on Feb 7, Shumaila Kanwer, the widow of Faheem, a Pakistani man allegedly shot and killed by Davis, committed suicide.

Sana Saleem voices her concerns in these words;

While her death should and will trigger a response from the public, it should be a response that is devoid of political agendas and hate-mongering. It should be a call for the rule of law to be upheld and justice to be served. After all, it is the hate-mongering, the conspiracy theories, the knee-jerk anti Americanism that made Kanwal believe that justice would never be served in her case.

She goes on to say:

Kanwal was not looking for justice from the US instead she was expecting her own government and the judicial system to rise to the occasion, to which they did. Regardless, her hopes were shattered by constant reminders that ‘the country has been sold to America’ and that the ‘Government is planning a safe passage for their ally’. References that Davis might be a part of a mercenary force, Blackwater or XE Services only fed her doubt.

There have been reports of alleged US threats to Pakistan over Raymond Davis's release to which Pakistani Ambassador to US responds on his twitter as:

Read my tweets: No US official, incl the NSA, has conveyed any personal threats 2 me or spoken of extreme measures as cited by @ABC

Following the US demand to release Davis, the protesters took to the streets in a country which already has increasing anti-US sentiments. Not surprisingly, the protesters include people from all walks of life. As Sarah Khan of CriticalPPP blog quotes Imran Khan's call for protest in following words:

“Come out on streets if you want to get justice and secure your rights,” he emphatically urged the people.

People from civil society gathered to protest on streets.

Image: CriticalPPP blog. Used under Creative Commons License

Taking full advantage of the opportunity, religious organizations such as JUI and Hizb ut Tahrir are also joining the protests.

Activists shout slogans during a protest against the Islamabad killing of two Pakistanis by a US citizen Raymond Davis. Hyderabad, Pakistan. Copyright Demotix. 11/02/2011

Inspired by Egyptian revolution, many Pakistani digital activists are also also gearing up for organized protests under the banner of Pakistan Revolution Movement.

As of today, the protests continue and the fate of Raymond Davis is undecided.

5 comments

  • spsyed

    Undue pressure by the US senator John Kerry, chairman of senate commitee for foreign affairs and an ex-president candidate, has convinced Pakistan government officials and politicians to provide forged diplomatic immunity documents to the courts in the country. American politicians don’t want Raymond Allen David to face the music for his crimes in Pakistan. They want Davis to evade justice because the court trial in Pakistan would open Pandora’s Box and set a precedent for future trials. Davis does not have diplomatic immunity. The trial would expose other American misdeeds in Pakistan and elsewhere. Pakistan courts have the right to rule on the crminal case without any fear or favour, blackmails, threats, economic sanctions and political pressures. The courts would become laughing stock if in this case they cave in. Davis may be released after his conviction only when American politicians close down all covert operations in Pakistan, stop drone attacks, write off all debts, etc. After his trial and conviction, Pakistan must expel all American members of Delta Force from the country and try their Organge Force mercenaries; seal Afghan-Pak border; and stop the American-NATO terror supply line between Pakistan and Afghanistan… Would that help stop false flags, and bring down or undo the PNAC’s

  • American under cover agent Raymond Allen Davis was masterminding more terrorist activities in Pakistan, according to his retrieved telephone call logs. Top-secret CIA documents show that Davis (born 02 Oct 1974) was providing nuclear fissile material and biological agents to groups of banned terrorists, killers and bombers hired by the USA government officials as part of the 915 year old Christian crusade, or the NWO-PNAC mission to destabilise and disarm Pakistan. Davis was employed by the American under cover agencies, but this information is still withheld on the gag orders of American politicians and NWO-PNAC fans. The documents show Davis had links with the terrorists, working on the CIA’s plan to sabotage, destabilise and disarm Pakistan. Davis also worked for clandestine American Task Force 373 (TF373), Blackwater XE, DynaCorp and other under cover American agencies still operating in Pakistan. TF373 (Delta Force) is assigned to hire locals (Orange Force) to plant bombs in Pakistan, destabilise and leave the country without adequate defense. Davis, his gang of terrorists and through various front organisations were deeply involved in activities detrimental to Pakistan’s national interests. All this and more makes it an uncompromising national security issue in Pakistan.

    Davis killed two men in Lahore on 27 Jan 2011. Eyewitnesses and police probes prove that the two murders were not in self defence. Even the alleged self defence does not mean licence to kill and evade justice. Moreover, Davis never applied for and nor was he ever approved (by the Pakistan government) as having diplomatic immunity. Besides, according to a letter dated 20 Jan 2011 from the USA embassy in Islamabad, asked Pakistan foreign ministry to grant or extend Davis’ non-diplomatic business visa. So, Davis, who was on business visit visa, does not have diplomatic immunity from criminal prosecution in Pakistan. However, undue pressure (blackmails) by the US senator John Kerry (chairman of senate committee for foreign affairs and an ex-president candidate) has ‘convinced’ Pakistan government officials and politicians to provide forged diplomatic immunity documents to the courts in the country.

    American politicians don’t want Davis to face the music for his crimes in Pakistan.
    American politicians want Davis to evade justice because the court trial in Pakistan would open Pandora’s Box and set a precedent for future prosecutions. Davis was second-in-comm-and to Jonathan Banks, the former CIA station chief in Pakistan. Banks, who ordered hundreds of drone or bomb attacks on Pakistan, fled the country after his cover was blown. The threatened trials would expose other American misdeeds in Pakistan and elsewhere. Pakistan courts have the right to rule on the criminal case without any fear or favour, blackmails, threats, economic sanctions and political pressures. Allowing Davis to evade justice and get away with the murders would lead to a revolution or uprising in Pakistan. The courts would become laughing stock if they don’t detect the forgeries or if they cave in.

    Davis must be released only after his trials and conviction and only when American politicians:
    a) close down all covert operations in Pakistan;
    b) stop illegal drone attacks forever; and
    c) write off $60 billion debts, etc.

    In order to avert popular uprising and reduce terrorism, Pakistan must expel all American members of Delta Force (CIA-Pentagon, XE-Blackwater, Dynacorp etc) from the country immediately, prosecute and convict their hired Orange Force mercenaries (local paid bombers and killers); Seal Afghan-Pak border; stop the NWO American-NATO-PNAC terror supply line between Pakistan and Afghanistan…

    Would that help stop false flags, and bring down or undo the PNAC’s American empire, without a long trillion dollar war, lies and war crimes?

    In the final analysis, is it time to review deeply flawed American foreign policies to win billions of hearts and minds? After all, with friends like that, who needs foes?

  • […] On January 27, In broad day light, an American security official, Raymond Davis opened fire at two alleged robbers. In the aftermath of the shootout people in the immediate vicinity arrested him and in an effort to rescue this operative from the street, a car reportedly sped down the wrong side of the road and killed a third Pakistani man. […]

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    Pakistan: Protests Against Impunity for US Diplomat Raymond Davis · Global Voices

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