raymond davis (usa nationality) part - one news report

7/31/2019 Raymond Davis (USA Nationality) Part - One News Report

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RAYMOND DAVIS (NEWS REPORT) 2011

1 Made By : Ali Zulfiqar | Student of BBA (Hons) [email protected]

Raymond Davis

The USA Man Kill Three Pakistani.

Drama in Lahore: US diplomat faces double murder charge:

LAHORE: Two

cases, including

one for a double

murder, have been

registered against

US diplomats in-

volved in a dra-

matic shooting and

hit-and-run inci-dent, which

claimed the lives of

three men in La-

hore on Thursday.

One diplomat has

been charged for

murder for killing

two men on a mo-torbike allegedly in

self defence, at La-

hores Qartaba

Chowkwhile a

companion of the

diplomat, who is al-

so an American cit-

izen, crushed to

death a bike rider in

a hit-and-run inci-

dent, following the

shooting.

The accused diplo-mat, Raymond Da-

vis, opened fire at

the two meniden-

tified as Faizan

Hayder, aged 22,

and Faheem, 20at

a traffic signal of

Qartaba Chowk, af-

ter which he fledfrom the scene.

Two of his compan-

ions, who were in a

Land Cruiser, tried

to follow him but in

an attempt to avoid

a traffic jam entered

the wrong side ofthe road and hit a

motorcycle, killing

one person.

However, two war-

dens managed to

chase the diplomat

and apprehended

him at the Old An-

arkali chowk.

Capital City Police

Officer (CCPO)Muhammad Aslam

Tarin confirmed

that all three de-

ceased had no pre-

vious criminal rec-

ords, adding that

none of them had

robbed or fired at

the diplomat.

Tareen further said

that the American

diplomat had shot at

them, adding that

two FIRs under Sec-

tion 302 of PPC

have been registered

against the accused.

One FIR has been

registered for shoot-

ing and killing two

people, while an-
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other has registered

against the unidenti-

fied accused in-

volved in the hit-

and-run.

Earlier reports sug-

gested that the po-

lice declared those

who were killed as

armed dacoits. The

CCPO had earlier

said, According to

the diplomat twobike riders whipped

out their pistol after

which he fired at

them in self defence

and tried to flee

from the scene. He

said that due to their

suspicious move-ment, Davis thought

they wanted to at-

tack him.

Tarin said the ac-

cused was still in

their custody and

after consulting the

embassy and prose-cutors they would

take action against

him according to the

law. He also said

that the accused US

diplomat was una-

ble to show legal

proof or license for

carrying a weapon.

Superintendent of

Police Umar Saeed

Malik confirmed

that both cars be-

longed to the US

consulate. He said

that the white car

driven by Davis was

headed towards ahotel when the inci-

dent occurred.

Ali Amjad, an eye

witness, told The

Express Trib-

une that the Land

Cruiser, while fol-

lowing the fleeingcar on Jail Road,

collided with a biker

identified as Ubai-

dur Rehman.

Daviss car while on

the run also injured

a traffic warden

who had tried tostop it. The car fi-

nally got stuck in a

traffic jam at Ana-

kali and was caught

by the chasing war-

den along with an

angry mob, Amjad

said.

Raymond was then

moved to Old An-

arkali police station

from where he was

escorted to an un-

known place by

DSP Raza Safdar

Kazmi in his official

vehicle.

Amjad, who was

present at the jail

road at the time of

the incident, said

that the first shot

was fired was from

the car as, immedi-

ately after, the pil-

lion rider fell fromthe bike. He said

that more shots

were fired from the

car, after which it

fled from the scene.

When contacted, US

embassy spokesman

Alberto Rodrigueztold The Express

Tribune that the

embassy is working

closely with the au-

thorities and the


3/37



consulate in Lahore

on the issue. Alt-

hough he confirmed

that the US national

is an employee ofthe consulate, he

said he could not

confirm his name or

portfolio.

Hayder was a resi-

dent of Ravi Road

and, according to

his family, had left

the house for the

court to pursue a

case against thekillers of his brother

who gunned him

down a month ago.

The family said that

Hayder carried a

pistol but only for

self-defence. They

further said that

Hayder was not a

dacoit, and was be-

ing used as a scape-

goat by the police tosave the skin of the

American diplomat.

Published in The

Express Tribune,

January 28th, 2011.

American remanded over double killing

LAHORE: The US

diplomat involved

in gunning down

two Pakistanis in

Lahore appeared

in court on Fridayand was ordered to

be held in police

custody over the

deaths of two men

he said he killed in

self defence, po-

lice said.

Raymond Davis,

described by the

US State Depart-

ment as an Amer-ican civilian

working for the US

consulate in the

city, was being held

at the Lyton Road

police station in La-

hore on double

murder charges over

the deaths of two

motorcyclists. A

third Pakistani was

crushed to death by

a consulate car that

went to help Davis

following the shoot-

ing in a busy street

in the eastern city

on Thursday.

We produced theAmerican in the

court of magistrate

Zafar Iqbal, who

remanded him into

police custody for

six days, senior po-

lice official Zulfiqar

Hameed told AFP,adding that Davis

would appear in

court again on

Thursday.
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Police identified the

gunman as Davis

and said he de-

scribed himself as a

technical adviserwith the consulate.

Post-mortem re-

port

Post mortem exam-

inations of the three

victims killed in the

incidentUbaidul

Rehman, Faheem

and Faizan Haider

have been re-

leased.

The report states

that Rehman died of

heart and head

trauma after he was

rammed by the US

consulate vehicle

that arrived on

the scene of the in-

cident later

on. Faheem was fa-

tally shot by Ray-

mond four times

while Haider, whodied in the hospital

was shot thrice.

The post-mortem

examinations were

delayed overnight

because of protests

by family members

of the deceased.

Raymond Davis

said he will ask thevictims families to

pardon him.

Two handguns were

found close to the

victims bodies, of-

ficers said, but po-

lice chief Aslam

Tarin said they sofar appeared to have

no previous crimi-

nal record.

Imran Haider, the

elder brother of one

of the motorcyclists,

said his brother only

carried a pistol forprotection, follow-

ing the death of a

third brother last

month, and insisted

the gun was li-

censed.

He said his brother

was travelling homewith his friend from

a court hearing

when the incident

took place. My

brother was inno-

cent, he was not a

criminal. We need

justice, said the 34-

year-old, adding

that his mother hadbeen hospitalised

with a pre-existing

heart condition fol-

lowing her sons

death.

Police officer Ah-

med said another

murder case hadbeen registered

against unknown

foreigners in the se-

cond vehicle over

the death of the

third man.

The US embassy in

Islamabad con-firmed that Davis

was a consular

worker but said it

was still trying to

work out with the

police what had

happened. There

was confusion overwhether foreigners

were allowed to car-

ry a weapon.

Legal issues


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Police in Lahore

said they were seek-

ing legal advice on

the matter, while a

senior lawyer in Is-lamabad, Ali Zafar,

told AFP that spe-

cial permission was

required for a for-

eigner to be

armed. A Western

security official,

speaking on condi-tion of anonymity,

said it was extreme-

ly rare for Pakistani

authorities to grant

weapons permits to

foreigners.

Its a very sensitive

issue here so gettinga permit is virtually

impossible for a

foreigner. It would

be extremely sur-

prising if the Amer-

ican in Lahore had a

permit, he told

AFP.Davis will not be

given VIP proto-

col

Punjab Law Minis-

ter Rana Sanaullah

said that Davis will

not be given VIP

protocol and will be

sent to jail after in-

terrogation. He saidthat no one was

above the law and

that the Punjab gov-

ernment was taking

action under its leg-

islation.

Sanaullah also said

that Davis seemedto have been on per-

sonal business at the

time of the shoot-

ing.

He said that he was

returning from

withdrawing cash

from a bank and weare verifying this,

Sanaullah told a

news conference in

Lahore.

Every citizen has

the right of self-

defence but there

are several require-ments for the claim

of self-defence. If

those requirements

have been met, he

can use it in court.

He said the US con-

sulate had agreed to

release the second

vehicle to police.

The minister said a

team headed by the

Lahore CCPO had

been formed to

probe the incident.

US seeks to avoid

backlash from La-

hore shooting

The United States

said it wanted to

avoid any anti-

American backlash.

We want to make

sure that a tragedy

like this does not af-

fect the strategicpartnership that

were building with

Pakistan, State De-

partment spokesman

Philip Crowley told

reporters.

And well work as

hard as we can toexplain that to the

Pakistani people,

he said.

Law Minister Sa-

naullah also said


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that no US pressure

would be allowed to

influence the crimi-

nal case.

We will not accept

any pressure in this

case. The guilty will

be punished and the

innocent will get

justice, he told re-

porters.

Davis belongs to

Virginia, US and

can claim diplomat-

ic immunity in

court.

Lahore shootings: Malik promises fair trial

ISLAMA-

BAD: The gov-

ernment assured

the parliament it

will not be lenientin seeking appro-

priate legal action

against

thedetained Amer-

ican Raymond Da-

vis who shot dead

two Pakistani

men in Lahore.The law will defi-

nitely take its

course. No one

is allowed to

breach it, Interior

Minister Rehman

Malik told the Na-

tional Assemblyhere on Friday.

Maliks assertion

came in response to

allegation by a PPP

member that the in-

terior minister

tried to rescue the

killer immediately

after the incident,

on Thursday after-noon.

Noor Alam Khan,

an MNA from

Peshawar, said he

had credible infor-

mation that Malik

made contacts with

Lahore police to letthe American go.

He did not mention

his sources though.

Though the matter

has to be dealt with

by provincial au-

thorities, Malik of-

fered to initiate aparliamentary in-

quiry into it.

Several members

from both the gov-

ernment and opposi-

tion parties de-

manded punishment

for the foreigner

while lawmakers

from the Senate also

set aside their partyaffiliations and

asked the govern-

ment not to suc-

cumb to any pres-

sure and ensure a

fair trial.

Regarding the de-

tails of the case,Malik said the mat-

ter was being inves-

tigated and that an

inquiry by the fed-

eral agencies had
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also been ordered to

collect information

about the American

and the weapon he

was carrying.

No panel to review

blasphemy law

Meanwhile Malik

denied that the gov-

ernment had formed

a parliamentary

committee to sug-

gest changes to

blasphemy law.

Leaders from vari-

ous religious parties

have been demand-

ing that the gov-

ernment dissolve a

committee, report-

edly headed by mi-

norities affairs

minister Shahbaz

Bhatti, to investi-

gate and remove

loopholes in theblasphemy law.

Published in The

Express Tribune,

January 29th, 2011.

Lahore shootings: As the case unfolds, the mystery deepens

ISLAMA-

BAD/LAHORE: A

s the US diplomat-

ic machinery

moved to calm a

brewing storm

over Thurs-days shooting in-

cident in La-

hore involving an

official attached to

its consulate, pecu-

liar details are

trickling in regard-

ing the exact iden-tity of the man.

US Ambassador

Cameron Munter is

learnt to have met

Foreign Secretary

Salman Basheer, re-

questing the federal

governments inter-

vention in the case

of US official Ray-

mond Allen Davis,

who gunned downtwo young motor-

cyclists near La-

hores Qurtaba

Chowk in apparent

self-defence. The

case is currently be-

ing handled by the

Punjab government,

and Davis has been

remanded into po-

lice custody for six

days, according topolice officials, by

a magistrate.

Munter, according

to well-placed

sources, is said to

have brought up the

Geneva Convention,

under which diplo-mats are allowed

diplomatic immuni-

ty. The provincial

government has so

far refused to bring
http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/


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the international

protocol into play.

Other diplomats are

also learnt to have

tried to contact thePunjab government.

The Foreign Office

is learnt to have

contacted the Pun-

jab government re-

questing case de-

tails. There has also

been a meeting be-tween Chief of Ar-

my Staff Gen Ash-

faq Parvez Kayani

and Interior Minis-

ter Rehman Malik

regarding the mat-

ter. Gen. Kayani is

said to have advisedMalik to handle the

matter with ex-

treme care given its

sensitive nature. He

also advised that,

aside from the ap-

parent diplomatic

links, Davis mili-tary links should al-

so be kept in mind

as the case moves

forward.

Also discussed was

the law and order

situation that could

arise if Davis is

granted immunity.

Who is Davis?

Meanwhile, intelli-

gence data shows

that Davis has visit-

ed Pakistan nine

times since 2009.

According to rec-ords available

with The Express

Tribune, Allen Da-

vis, aged 37, visited

Pakistan for the first

time on October 18,

2009, landing in Is-

lamabad. His last

entry into Pakistan

was on January 20,

2011, when he

landed in Lahores

Allama Iqbal Inter-

national Airport.

Davis travelled us-

ing a regular pass-

port, on which he

had regular visit vi-

sas. There was no

diplomatic passport.

Insiders say that

Davis was perform-

ing duties as a tech-

nical advisor serv-

ing in the Intelli-gence and Security

Wings of the US

Embassy in Islama-

bad and the consu-

late in Lahore. He

also made frequent

visits to Karachi and

Peshawar. The po-lice are said to have

recovered an identi-

ty card from Davis

for the US Pesha-

war consulate.

Pakistani intelli-

gence agencies have

so far not reachedany conclusion and

had not submitted a

report regarding the

incident till the fil-

ing of this report.

However, initial da-

ta suggests that po-

lice or other securi-ty/intelligence

agencies had no

record or intimation

of Davis movement

or participation in


9/37



official events since

he first arrived in

Pakistan in 2009.

According to policy

guidelines and secu-

rity advisory issued

by the Foreign and

Interior Ministries,

US officials are, for

their own security,

not meant to move

around without in-

forming security of-ficials due to the

terror threat in the

country. The vehicle

Davis was driving

was locally-

registered, and did

not have diplomatic

number plates.Initial reports re-

volved around a

possible looting at-

tempt by the men on

the motorcycles, to

which Davis is said

to have retaliated.

Conversely, somereports rejected the

robbery bid. How-

ever, it is unclear

what would have

provoked Davis to

open fire.

A new angle to the

incident, submitted

in a statement by

Davis himself, has it

that the vehicle he

was driving had had

a minor collision

with a Rickshaw a

little before the in-

cident. Therefore, if

not a robbery, thetwo men could have

chased the vehicle

to argue with the

driver.

Tristram Perry, the

information officer

of the US Consulate

in Lahore, did notanswer queries re-

garding Davis im-

munity, saying that

he has been request-

ed by Islamabad to

not comment on the

incident. We are

working with Paki-stani authorities to

determine the facts

and work toward a

resolution, he said

FIRs against the

deceased

Meanwhile, though

it was initially re-

ported that the two

deceased motorcy-

clists had no crimi-

nal record, the po-

lice registered FIRs

against them post-

humously on Fri-

day, police sources

told The ExpressTribune.

The complainants,

Doctor Farzand and

Sheharyar Malik, in

a written applica-

tion, state that the

two had robbed

them of their mo-biles and cash just

before the incident

and were fleeing.

As evidence, the

two have referred to

phone logs of calls

made to Rescue 1-5

about the incidentright after it hap-

pened. The police

say that two mobile

phones were recov-

ered from the de-


10/37



ceased which

matched the de-

scription of those

the applicants had

complained to 1-5had been stolen.

However, the police

had also shown the

recovery of foreign

currency from the

deceased, which

they say had also

been looted. On theother hand, there is

yet to be a com-

plaint regarding the

theft of foreign cur-

rency on the day of

the incident.

In the FIR regis-

tered against Davis,the police have also

included charges of

carrying an illegal

weapona Glock

pistol and two mag-

azines. The police

also recovered a

digital camera, a

phone tracker with a

charger.

Conversely, the po-

lice so far have no

information about

the other vehicle

that came to rescue

Davis and crushed a

motorcyclist

Ibadullahin the

process. After kill-

ing the man, the ve-hicle fled from the

scene. Davis did not

disclose who was

heading to his res-

cue, but did tell the

police that, after the

incident, he tele-

phoned his RegionalSecurity Officer

who might have

sent some officials

for his rescue.

A police officer, on

condition of ano-

nymity, said that

they had, through

the Lahore Capital

City Police Officer,

sent a formal re-

quest to Pakistansforeign office to

contact the US Con-

sulate to identify

those in the vehicle

for their arrest.

The security of the

US consulate has

meanwhile been in-creased in light of

increasing protests

against the inci-

dent, The Express

Tribunehas learnt.

WITH REPORT-

ING BY SONIA

MALIK ANDRAMEEZ KHAN

Published in The

Express Tribune,

January 29th, 2011.

Deaths and diplomacy: Law will take its course, says Sana

LAHORE: Law

Minister Rana Sa-

naullah told re-

porters that Ray-

mond Davis, the

US Consul em-

ployee, and his un-

identified col-

league(s)

whokilled three

men, would be
http://tribune.com.pk/story/110809/deaths-and-diplomacy-law-will-take-its-course-says-sana/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110809/deaths-and-diplomacy-law-will-take-its-course-says-sana/


11/37



dealt with under

the Pakistani law.

We will not bow

down to any pres-

sure, the law min-ister said.

He was addressing a

press conference at

the committee room

of the Directorate

General of Public

Relations. Two sep-

arate FIRs havebeen registered on

behalf of the fami-

lies of the deceased

young men. One is

registered at Lytton

Road police station

under section 302

on the complaint of

Imran Haider,

brother of deceased

Fiazan Haider. The

other has been reg-istered on the com-

plaint of Ijazur

Rehman, the brother

of Ubaidur Rehman,

who crushed to

death by a US Con-

sulate vehicle.

Promising compen-sation to the

Ubaids family, the

law minister said

that the US Consu-

late had been asked

to cooperate with

police in the arrest

of the culprit(s) oth-

er than Davis. Sa-

naull

ah rejected the im-

pression that Davis

was being treated as

a guest. No VIPprotocol was of-

fered to the crimi-

nal, he added.

Published in The

Express Tribune,

January 29th, 2011.

Law must take its course in US diplomat case: FO spokesman

ISLAMA-

BAD: The gov-

ernment on Satur-

day said the legalprocess should be

respected after the

US embassy called

for the immediate

release of an

American diplo-

mat who was ar-

rested after he

killed two Paki-stanis this week.

The American,

identified by police

as Raymond Davis,

told a court on Fri-

day he had acted in
http://tribune.com.pk/story/110999/us-embassy-demands-immediate-release-of-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110999/us-embassy-demands-immediate-release-of-davis/


12/37



self-defence after

fleeing what he said

was a robbery at-

tempt in Lahore on

Thursday.

Davis has been re-

manded in police

custody for six days

for questioning.

This matter is sub

judice in a court of

law and the legal

process should be

respected, a Paki-

stani foreign office

spokesman said in a

statement.

The US embassy

said in a statement

on Friday only that

a staff member of

the US Consulate

General in Lahore

was involved in an

incident involving

loss of life.

In a statement on

Saturday, the em-

bassy identified him

as a US diplomat

who it said had been

unlawfully detained

by authorities in

Lahore, where the

shooting took place.

It said the diplomat

acted in self-

defence when con-

fronted by two

armed men and had

every reason to be-

lieve they meant to

harm him, and said

arresting the diplo-mat was a violation

of international

norms and the Vi-

enna Convention.

In his initial state-

ment, Davis told po-

lice that he was

chased by the twomen soon

after he withdrew

money from a cash

machine. The men

approached him

when he pulled over

at a traffic signal

and they pointed agun at him.

Davis then fired at

the men, a police of-

ficial said.

On Friday, the US

Ambassador Cam-

eron

Munter reportedly

metForeign Secre-

tary Salman

Basheer, requesting

the federal govern-

ments intervention

in the case of theUS official.

Speaking to the me-

dia yesterday (Fri-

day), Punjab Law

Minister Rana Sa-

naullah had said that

Davis will not be

given VIP proto-col and will be sent

to jail after interro-

gation. He said that

no one was above

the law and that the

Punjab government

was taking action

under its legislation.

Releasing Raymond Davis
http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111021/releasing-raymond-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111021/releasing-raymond-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/


13/37



A day prior to issu-

ing a somewhat

strident statement,

the US embassy had

said that it did notwant the fatal shoot-

ing of two Pakistan-

is, and the running

over of another by a

US consulate vehi-

cle, to cloud rela-

tions between the

two countries.However, the state-

ment released on

January 29,

by demanding that

Raymond Davis be

immediately re-

leased from custody

since he was a dip-lomat and hence

protected under the

Vienna Convention

on Diplomatic Rela-

tions, is likely to

cause an equal, if

not greater, public

outcry among many

people. It will beseen as an attempt

to subvert the

course of law and

justice in this par-

ticular case. It will

also reinforce the

widely-held view in

this and many other

developing coun-

tries that powerfulnations like the US

do not care much

for the justice sys-

tems of countries

such as Pakistan.

And while the

workings of the le-

gal system may in-

deed leave much to

be desired, the focus

in this case is not

that. Several im-

portant questions

need to be answered

and sorted out be-

fore Mr Davis can

be released. Perhapsthe most important

of these (also raised

in an article on the-

se pages today by

an eminent lawyer

from Lahore, a

graduate of one of

Americas best law

schools) is the issue

of Mr Daviss iden-tity. Is he a diplomat

(according to

anABC

News report, he is a

private security

consultant) and if

so, then the im-

munity given to onecan be waived only

by his own govern-

ment. Other matters

relate to standard

operating proce-

dures used by dip-

lomats in Pakistan,

even those workingundercover (though

it is yet to be ascer-

tained either way,

whether Mr Davis

was an undercover

official), especially

with regard to carry-

ing weapons and

travelling in vehi-cles with local

number plates.

Were the Pakistani

authorities aware of
http://tribune.com.pk/story/111021/releasing-raymond-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111021/releasing-raymond-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111021/releasing-raymond-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111021/releasing-raymond-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111021/releasing-raymond-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111021/releasing-raymond-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111021/releasing-raymond-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111021/releasing-raymond-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111021/releasing-raymond-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111021/releasing-raymond-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111021/releasing-raymond-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111021/releasing-raymond-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110999/us-embassy-demands-immediate-release-of-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110999/us-embassy-demands-immediate-release-of-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110999/us-embassy-demands-immediate-release-of-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110999/us-embassy-demands-immediate-release-of-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110999/us-embassy-demands-immediate-release-of-davis/http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/lahore-shooting-raymond-davis-american-official-involved-shooting/story?id=12785027http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/lahore-shooting-raymond-davis-american-official-involved-shooting/story?id=12785027http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/lahore-shooting-raymond-davis-american-official-involved-shooting/story?id=12785027http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/lahore-shooting-raymond-davis-american-official-involved-shooting/story?id=12785027http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/lahore-shooting-raymond-davis-american-official-involved-shooting/story?id=12785027http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/lahore-shooting-raymond-davis-american-official-involved-shooting/story?id=12785027http://tribune.com.pk/story/110999/us-embassy-demands-immediate-release-of-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110999/us-embassy-demands-immediate-release-of-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110999/us-embassy-demands-immediate-release-of-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110999/us-embassy-demands-immediate-release-of-davis/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/


14/37



these measures,

since they would

presumably violate

the law, and if dip-

lomats are allowedsuch things then un-

der what authority?

Also, what hap-

pened to the driver

of the jeep that

came to Mr Daviss

rescue and in the

process ran over and

killed another Paki-

stani? What is his

identity and what is

to become of thesuspect? Surely,

these matters need

to be settled before

the government can

make a determina-

tion to release Mr

Davis.

Published in The

Express Tribune,

January 30th, 2011.

Ascertaining Raymond Daviss identity

The murder of two

Pakistanis by the

American man iden-

tified as Raymond

Davis has riled

many Pakistanis.

Besides fanning theanti-American sen-

timent, it has also

perplexed Pakistanis

because of the ra-

ther mysterious

manner in which the

whole incident

played out. From a

legal standpoint,

solving the mystery

of the Americans

identity is the most

critical part of the

ongoing investiga-

tion, since it would

determine whether

or not he has diplo-

matic immunity

from criminal pros-

ecution in Pakistan.

There are some in-dications

that Raymond Davis

is not a diplomat.

However, irrespec-

tive of his identity

or legal status, the

relevant question is

whether Raymond

Davis should be al-

lowed to get away

with murder? This

question ties in with

the larger issue of

how the principle of

diplomatic immuni-

ty could be abused

under certain cir-

cumstances.

By way of back-

ground, the founda-

tion for this princi-ple was laid down

in the Vienna Con-

vention on Diplo-

matic Relations,

1961, which is con-

sidered the most

important interna-

tional agreement on

diplomatic immuni-

ty. The relevant part

of Article 31 of this

Convention sets out

the immunity of a

diplomatic agent
http://tribune.com.pk/story/111024/ascertaining-raymond-daviss-indentity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111024/ascertaining-raymond-daviss-indentity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111024/ascertaining-raymond-daviss-indentity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/lahore-shooting-raymond-davis-american-official-involved-shooting/story?id=12785027http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/lahore-shooting-raymond-davis-american-official-involved-shooting/story?id=12785027http://untreaty.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_1_1961.pdfhttp://untreaty.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_1_1961.pdfhttp://untreaty.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_1_1961.pdfhttp://untreaty.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_1_1961.pdfhttp://untreaty.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_1_1961.pdfhttp://untreaty.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_1_1961.pdfhttp://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/lahore-shooting-raymond-davis-american-official-involved-shooting/story?id=12785027http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/lahore-shooting-raymond-davis-american-official-involved-shooting/story?id=12785027http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111024/ascertaining-raymond-daviss-indentity/


15/37



from the criminal

jurisdiction of the

country in which the

diplomatic agent is

working. A diplo-matic agent has

been defined in Ar-

ticle 1 of the con-

vention as the head

of the mission or a

member of the dip-

lomatic staff of the

mission which in-cludes administra-

tive, technical and

service staff of the

mission. Therefore,

strictly in accord-

ance with the Vien-

na Convention, if

Raymond Davissidentity as a diplo-

matic agent is estab-

lished, he should be

let off the hook.

While this law may

seem discriminatory

and abhorrent, espe-

cially in this par-ticular case, at the

state level, it is quite

fair and uniform in

its application to

diplomats. In fact,

in the area of dip-

lomatic relations, it

has its roots in the

principles of good-

will and reciprocity.The US itself is no

exception in gener-

ously granting dip-

lomatic immunity

even in some cases

involving serious

offences. In one

case, the son of amilitary attach

from Ghana who

was suspected of

committing 15 rapes

was allowed to

leave the US with-

out being prosecut-

ed on the grounds ofdiplomatic immuni-

ty.

So why is the prin-

ciple of diplomatic

immunity so widely

recognised and en-

forced? One of the

rationales for grant-ing diplomats this

privilege is their

lack of understand-

ing of the local cus-

toms. If this is the

case, what is the ba-

sis for granting im-

munity from crimi-

nal prosecution? It

should be easy tounderstand that re-

gardless of what

state the diplomat is

working in, rape

and murder are not

part of its local cus-

toms.

Under the ViennaConvention, the on-

ly way a diplomat

could be prosecuted

for a crime is if his

own state expressly

waives the immuni-

ty. Yet, it could be

charactericed as anirrelevant provision

that would hardly be

enforced regardless

of how heinous the

offence is. In the

case of Raymond

Davis, the US gov-

ernment has already

raised the issue of

diplomatic immuni-

ty. Assum-

ing Raymond Da-

vis is a diplomat,
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/


16/37



the demand is legal.

Moreover, I cannot

think of many states

that would waive

this immunity to en-able prosecution of

its diplomats in a

foreign country.

Clearly, the princi-

ple of sweeping dip-

lomatic immunity

needs to be revisit-

ed. Like any law,

the benefits of the

law should be bal-

anced against thecosts. Under pre-

vailing principles of

international law,

the benefits of

sweeping diplomat-

ic immunity seem to

outweigh the costs,

including the costs

of not prosecuting

diplomats and their

family members forrape and murder.

Published in The

Express Tribune,

January 30th, 2011.

An American in LahoreThe shooting in La-

hore has all the po-

tential to erupt into

another public rela-

tions disaster for

America in Paki-

stan, where anti-Americanism is al-

ready high, whipped

up by rightwingers

and nationalists as a

convenient bogey

all the time. The US

is held responsible

for everything thatgoes awry in this

land of the pure.

America-bashing

has taken the shape

of a master craft,

which is well-

rehearsed and con-

stantly repeated. In

such an atmosphere

of mistrust and ac-

rimony, a shooting

spree that leaves

more questions

asked than an-

swered is a trou-bling development

and couldnt have

come at a worse

time.

One cannot deny

that American citi-

zens have to be cau-

tious and wary

about their securi-

ty in the country.

They often encoun-ter hostile behaviors

and political and re-

ligious sentiments

override many so-

cial interactions.

American motives

are under constant

scrutiny. The alli-ance with the US is

perpetually judged

in black and white.

Religious and na-

tionalistic rhetoric
http://tribune.com.pk/story/111023/an-american-in-lahore/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111023/an-american-in-lahore/


17/37



presents a distorted

and skewed rela-

tionship between

the two countries.

American officialsare often labeled as

Blackwater opera-

tives by some sec-

tions of the local

media, and this has

endangered their

lives.

The fact that manyAmericans and oth-

er diplomats carry

arms while travel-

ling inside the coun-

try, keeping in mind

the precarious secu-

rity situation, is not

a secret, and knownto both the public

and the local law

enforcing authori-

ties.

It is still not exactly

clear what really

happened in Lahore

on January 27.Raymond Davis

claims that he acted

in self-defence. But

is he guilty of using

excessive force?

Could he have acted

with more restraint?

What is his actual

background? Paki-

stani officials alsoneed to thoroughly

investigate the two

motorbike riders.

Initial accounts by

police say that two

weapons were

found with the two

dead. Street crime isnothing new. Is

there any credence

in the claim by the

family of one of the

deceased that one

weapon was li-

censed and carried

due to a familyfeud?

The facts need to be

ascertained but,

more importantly,

made open to the

public. The law

should run its due

course.This unfortunate ep-

isode provides a

window of oppor-

tunity to the US as

well. Instead of

maintaining a si-

lence, which would

result in furthering

poisonous rumour

mongering and con-spiratorial specula-

tions, US officials

need to be transpar-

ent and open. Their

silence would be

heard loudly and

presented as a tes-

timony of guilt bythose who oppose

the US in an almost

knee-jerk reaction.

One incident, if

badly handled, can

wash away all the

good that the United

States has done re-cently for the flood

victims in the coun-

try.

The shooting has al-

ready put the Paki-

stani government

under pressure and

officials have tried

to dismiss the im-

pression that the US

citizen would be

meted out any pref-

erential treatment.
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/263/blackwater-chief-makes-a-run-for-it/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/263/blackwater-chief-makes-a-run-for-it/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/263/blackwater-chief-makes-a-run-for-it/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110809/deaths-and-diplomacy-law-will-take-its-course-says-sana/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110809/deaths-and-diplomacy-law-will-take-its-course-says-sana/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110809/deaths-and-diplomacy-law-will-take-its-course-says-sana/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110809/deaths-and-diplomacy-law-will-take-its-course-says-sana/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110809/deaths-and-diplomacy-law-will-take-its-course-says-sana/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110809/deaths-and-diplomacy-law-will-take-its-course-says-sana/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110809/deaths-and-diplomacy-law-will-take-its-course-says-sana/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110809/deaths-and-diplomacy-law-will-take-its-course-says-sana/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/263/blackwater-chief-makes-a-run-for-it/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/263/blackwater-chief-makes-a-run-for-it/


18/37



Mr Davis has been

charged with mur-

der. The trial and its

proceedings should

make for riveting

headlines.

Published in The

Express Tribune,

January 30th, 2011.

Lahore double murder: US tones up push for immunity

ISLAMA-

BAD: After three

days of adopting a

measured ap-

proach, the US

Embassy has come

out and demandedin absolute terms

the release of

an official involved

in a shootout in

Lahore.

However, the For-

eign Office does not

seem to be con-vinced of the offi-

cials diplomatic

status.

The embassy has

stated that Raymond

Davis, an official

attached to the US

consulate in Lahorewho gunned down

two men at Qurtaba

Chowk on Thursday

in apparent self-

defence, enjoys dip-

lomatic immunity

under international

law, and cannot be

tried in Pakistan.

The embassy has al-

so said that Davis

holds a diplomaticpassportwhich in-

itial reports sug-

gested he didnt

with a visa valid till

June 2012, and

therefore should be

released immediate-

ly.Initially, the US

missions in Pakistan

were not confirming

the diplomatic sta-

tus of Davis, who

has been given on a

six-day remand to

the Punjab police bya Lahore magistrate.

A one-line state-

ment immediately

following the inci-

dent had only re-

gretted that the inci-

dent resulted in the

loss of life.

Saturdays state-

ment, howev-

er, defended Davis

act saying: Thediplomat had every

reason to believe

that the armed men

meant him bodily

harm. Minutes ear-

lier, the two men,

who had criminal

backgrounds, hadrobbed money and

valuables at gun-

point from a Paki-

stani citizen in the

same area.

In fact, the state-

ment puts the onus

of the confusion onthe Pakistani au-

thorities.

It said that the local

police and senior

authorities failed to
http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110454/us-seeks-to-avoid-backlash-from-lahore-shooting/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/


19/37



observe their legal

obligation to verify

his status with either

the US Consulate

General in Lahoreor the US embassy

in Islamabad, add-

ing that the arrest

and subsequent re-

mand of Davis is a

violation of interna-

tional norms.

However, the pressstatement did not

mention the portfo-

lio of Davis nor ex-

plained the nature of

the job he is as-

signed in Pakistan.

Doubts in the For-

eign Office

The Punjab police

are handling the in-

vestigation and its

report is awaited,

Abdul Basit, the

spokesperson of the

ministry of foreign

affairs, remarkedwhen contacted in

order to confirm the

status of Davisal-

so pointing out that

the matter is before

a court of law. For

the above reasons,

the foreign ministry

has no substantive

comments to offer,he said.

However, other

Foreign Office offi-

cials, speaking off

the record, have ex-

pressed doubts

about the authentici-

ty of Davis diplo-

matic status, saying

that he was not en-

rolled with their

protocol section,

which is known as

P-2.

They also pointed

out that Davis had

not presented his

diplomatic creden-

tials at the time of

his arrest.

Puzzled diplomats

Diplomats in Paki-

stan were puzzled

by the incident,

questioning why it

took three days for

the US embassy to

act on Davis be-

half. Why did

they not act as soon

as the incident was

reported? Was it

because he did nothave diplomatic

papers at all? one

diplomat said, add-

ing that a diplomat

was supposed to

carry relevent doc-

uments on his per-

son at all times topreempt all possibil-

ities.

They also raised

eyebrows on his

handiness with fire-

armssaying that

no ordinary diplo-

mat was trained tofire in such a man-

ner exhibited by

Davis.

Ambassador con-

tacts Sharif


20/37



With the Punjab

government han-

dling the case, US

Ambassador Cam-

eron Munter rang upNawaz Sharif the

chief of the prov-

inces ruling party,

the Pakistan Muslim

League-Nawaz

(PML-N), according

to a statement by

the party.Expressing grief

over the death of

three Pakistanis in

the incident, Am-

bassador Munter

sought the custody

of Davis. Sharif,

however, was saidto have told the am-

bassador that the

matter was for the

court to decide now.

The military

weighs in

Highlighting the se-

riousness of the casefor the government,

military officials are

learnt to have ad-

vised the govern-

ment not to take the

matter lightly. They

said that political

cost of his release

would be stupen-

dous.

Interestingly, one

military official is

being said to have

even suggested that

the case could be

used for urging the

United States gov-

ernment to dismissthe case filed

against the director-

general of Inter-

Services Intelli-

gence (ISI), which

is being heard by a

court in New York.

Meeting sum-moned

The National As-

sembly standing

committee on inte-

rior has directed the

secretary of the

ministry of foreign

affairs to ask the USConsulate Lahore to

send a representa-

tive to attend a

meeting that will

take up the issue,

according to the As-

sociated Press of

Pakistan (APP).

The news agency,

quoting documents

in its possession,

said that the meet-

ing will be held on

Jan 31 in parliament

house. The chair-

man of the standing

committee, MNA

Abdul Qadir, willpreside over the

meeting. Interior

Minister Rehman

Malik and other of-

ficials of the con-

cerned of ministry

have also been

asked to attend themeeting.

Also summoned to

the meeting are the

Inspector General

Police Punjab and

the Capital City Po-

lice Officer Lahore.

The heirs of the twomen killed by the

US officials fire

have also been in-

vited to attend.

Petition filed


21/37



A petition has been

filed in the Lahore

High Court seeking

suo motu notice by

the chief justice onthe issue of Davis

status.

Barrister Javed Iq-

bal Jaafri has filed

an application on

Saturday requesting

that the officials

status should not be

put out of the

courts jurisdiction

without its approval.The applicant also

submitted that Da-

vis should be tried

under Pakistani law

and no special fa-

vours be granted by

the government.

WITH REPORT-

ING BY RANA

TANVEER IN

LAHORE

Published in The

Express Tribune,

January 30th, 2011.

Foreign missions: Diplomats not allowed to carry armsISLAMA-

BAD: The de-

tained US national

Raymond Davis,

who has

been charged with

killing two people

in Lahore seems tobe in real trouble,

as the interior min-

istry already had a

ban in place on is-

suing of weapons

licences to foreign

diplomats.

An official told TheExpress Trib-

une that the interior

ministry had placed

the ban some three

months back and di-

rected the agencies

concerned to im-

plement it in letter

and spirit.

The official made it

clear that Davis was

not supposed to car-

ry a weapon in La-

hore. According tothe existing policy,

the American offi-

cial could use his

weapon inside the

consulate general

for his protection

not outside its prem-

ises, he added.

He said the Punjab

police have de-

ployed guards at the

US consulate-

general in Lahoreand the staffers

were supposed to

seek their services

outside the consu-

late. The official

said that the interior

ministry has taken

steps to ensure secu-rity of foreign dip-

lomats in the coun-

try instead of allow-

ing them to carry

weapons.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/111278/foreign-missions-diplomats-not-allowed-to-carry-arms/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111278/foreign-missions-diplomats-not-allowed-to-carry-arms/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111278/foreign-missions-diplomats-not-allowed-to-carry-arms/


22/37



Earlier the interior

ministry used to is-

sue no-objection-

certificate (NOC)

for arm licences toforeign diplomats

and commissioners

were authorised to

issue licences in

their respective ju-

risdictions. Howev-

er, the ministry

banned the practiceafter the media re-

ported that some

diplomats threat-

ened police officials

in the federal and

provincial capitals,

the official said.

Whenever stopped

at checkpoints for

checking their vehi-

cles, foreign diplo-

mats did not show

licences for their

weapons, citing dip-

lomatic immunity

much to the embar-

rassment of police-men manning the

checkpoints, the

official added.

He said the interior

ministry was also

planning to create a

force which would

be responsible forthe protection of

diplomats. The

force, comprising

10,000 policemen,

would protect for-

eigners and diplo-

mats in the coun-

try, he added.Published in The

Express Tribune,

January 30th, 2011.

Davis will not be released despite pressure: Babar

ISLAMA-

BAD: Presidential

spokesman Far-hatullah Babar

said on Sunday

that the detained

American Ray-

mond Davis who

shot dead two Pa-

kistani men in La-hore will not be re-

leased despite pres-

sure on the govern-

ment.

Speaking at a cere-

mony, Babar admit-

ted that the govern-

ment was facingpressure in the case.

However, he insist-

ed that the decision

will be taken by the

courts since the

matter is subjudi-

ce. He added thatauthorities were

looking into the

case to see whether

the American had

diplomatic immuni-

ty or not.

Mean-

while, authoritieshave sent a list of

questions to the US

consulate and em-

bassy regarding the

individuals who fled
http://tribune.com.pk/story/111378/davis-will-not-be-released-despite-pressure-babar/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/110900/lahore-shootings-as-the-case-unfolds-the-mystery-deepens/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111378/davis-will-not-be-released-despite-pressure-babar/


23/37



in a Land Cruiser

after running over a

third man in

Mozang.

The dynamics of the Lahore tragedy

The wild roses

adorning the walls

of old houses on Jail

Road were always

suffused with the

characteristic winter

light of Lahore.

This afternoon itwas a pool of blood

that glowed red on

the metalled sur-

face. Three young

men were dead.

Two shot by Ray-

mond Davis, who

works for the USConsulate, and a

third crushed under

a speeding backup

vehicle.

This incident, unless

handled with sensi-

tivity, skill and

strictly according tothe law of the land,

could prove to be

the tipping point

that pushe

s the country into

chaos. Consequent-

ly, the national in-

terests of both Paki-

stan and the US

would be adversely

affected.

In examining the

explosive potential

of this event, con-

sider the context in

which it has oc-

curred: The emer-

gence of organised

Taliban and al

Qaeda groups

not only in the val-

leys of the north,

but also in the urbancentres; resurgence

of militant Baloch

nationalism and a

killing spree in Ka-

rachi with armed

groups on the ram-

page; accelerating

anarchy as individ-

uals increasingly

take the law into

their own hands; the

perceived weakness

of the governmentin fulfilling its pri-

mary function of es-

tablishing order in

society; the fiscal

crisis that constrains

the government

from effectively

dealing with theproblem of rising

poverty, inflation

and severe shortag-

es of electricity and

gas.

The lack of urgency

in firmly addressing

the challenges of in-ternal security and

economy has made

the democratic

structure vulnerable

to the onslaught of
http://tribune.com.pk/story/111588/the-dynamics-of-the-lahore-tragedy/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111588/the-dynamics-of-the-lahore-tragedy/


24/37



the extremists who

are attempting to es-

tablish a khilafat

in Pakistan. They

propound a bigotedand violent ideology

in a society where,

historically, religion

has nurtured love,

tolerance, enlight-

enment and a sense

of beauty. They

seek to mobilisepublic support on

the basis of a dis-

course that regards

the ruling elite as

corrupt, inept and

merely an instru-

ment of some sinis-

ter US design in theregion.

Under these circum-

stances, the incident

in Lahore, where

Pakistani citizens

were killed by a US

consulate official,

can play a powerful

role in mobilising

public support

for the extremist

cause. If the alleged

criminal is spirited

away to the US or

given diplomatic

immunity to prevent

him from being

tried in Pakistanicourts, it will be fur-

ther grist for the ex-

tremist mill.

Those right-wing

political parties and

elements of the lib-

eral elite who are

getting on the anti-US bandwagon for

this latest outrage

against Pakistani

sovereignty, may

wish to consider the

harsh reality that

faces the country.

Given the criticalfiscal situation, and

pressures on the

balance of pay-

ments, a withdrawal

of western support,

including multi- lat-

erals, would mean

bankruptcy and ex-change rate col-

lapse; imports of

critical raw materi-

als including ferti-

lisers would stop;

industry would

come to a standstill

and agriculture pro-

duction would

plummet; inflationcould shoot up to

three digit levels;

severe electricity

shortages would

paralyse key ser-

vices like transport,

hospitals and emer-

gency rescue opera-tions; and with the

import of weapons,

ammunition,

equipment and fuel

drying up, the abil-

ity of the Pakistani

military to prose-

cute the war againstthe extremists

would be signifi-

cantly compro-

mised. Consequent-

ly, the economy, so-

ciety and state could

come under unprec-

edented stress.

It is time, therefore,

to put the Lahore

tragedy in perspec-

tive. Political parties

and civil society in
http://tribune.com.pk/story/111429/thousands-rally-in-lahore-over-blasphemy-law/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111429/thousands-rally-in-lahore-over-blasphemy-law/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111429/thousands-rally-in-lahore-over-blasphemy-law/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111429/thousands-rally-in-lahore-over-blasphemy-law/


25/37



the country, as well

as the governments

of both Pakistan and

the US, would do

well to approach thegathering storm

with calmness, ma-

turity and justice.

One of the defining

features of a demo-

cratic state is the

rule of law. Let law

take its courseandjustice prevail. Let

the fragrance of ros-

es, not the odour of

blood, pervade the

once beautiful Jail

Road in Lahore and,

indeed, Pakistan.

Published in TheExpress Tribune,

January 31st, 2011.

Lahore shooting: Some questions

Two boys shot dead

by Raymond Davis,

an American na-

tional, in the

Mozang area of La-

hore; one biker

crushed to death by

a speeding US con-

sulate vehicle that

arrives on the scenepresumably to res-

cue Davis, who tries

to escape but is cap-

tured. The consulate

vehicle escapes af-

ter overrunning the

unfortunate biker.

The incident has lefta trail of three bod-

ies and several

questions.

Who is Davis

accredited diplomat

or a civilian con-

tracted by the US

consulate for tech-

nical advice, a term

that can cover a

broad range of ac-

tivities? Why was

he carrying a pistol,

a Glock 17 I am

told, which is a9mm semi-

automatic weapon

that packs the punch

with 17 rounds in a

standard magazine.

It is used by pros

and Davis does

seem like one.Why did Davis try

to run away from

the scene after dis-

playing the calm

ability to shoot a

pistol with a steady

hand, get out of the

car, make a video of

the bodies, and talk

to someone on the

wireless?

From whats knownso far, it does not

appear that the

killed boys intended

to shoot Davis.

They were carrying

local-made pistols

(terrible choice);

one didnt have bul-lets in it, while the

other had five

rounds of local am-

mo, another bad

amateur choice.
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111591/lahore-shooting-some-questions/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111591/lahore-shooting-some-questions/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/4165/raymond-davis-who-dare-point-a-finger-at-an-american/


26/37



There is no indica-

tion that they tried

to fire at Davis. It is

interesting to note

where Davis firedfrom, in what direc-

tion and where the

boys took the bul-

lets.

Davis fired from in-

side his car, slightly

above the steering

wheel and towardsthe right. That

would mean the

boys were parked

ahead of his car,

probably close to

the right edge of the

bonnet. Not exactly

the right place ifyou want to shoot

down a driver. Most

of the bullets, it ap-

pears from the au-

topsy, entered their

bodies from the

backthat would

mean they were fac-ing away from the

shooter, or were try-

ing to escape at the

time they were shot

down. If this is cor-

rect then, at least at

the moment Davis

shot them, they

were not a threat to

his life. Itchy fin-gers perhaps?

One source told me

the ammo he used

was hollow-point;

another says it was

ballpoint. With hol-

low-point the boys

stood no chance atall. The round en-

ters the body and

flattens, causing ter-

rible tissue damage.

Glock pistols have a

two-stage trigger

safety mechanism

because there is noexternal safety

catch. The weapon

will fire when the

trigger is depressed

normally beyond

the first stage af-

forded by the inter-

nal trigger safetymechanism. Why

did he fire 7 shots if

the idea was to in-

capacitate? Since

Davis has claimed

self-defence he will

have to prove that

his life was in grave

danger when he shot

the boys.

People are angry.

There is a sense, not

entirely wrong, that

Americans act

haughty, even

though the blame

for this must go to

Pakistani govern-ments. If the gov-

ernments fail to ob-

serve the protocols,

too eager to roll out

the red carpet even

for lower ranking

American officials,

one cant blame theAmericans for tak-

ing Pakistan for

granted.

Consider the atti-

tude of the public

affairs officers at

the US embassy and

the consulate in La-hore. They have re-

fused to ID Davis.

Instead of helping in

investigating the

killing of three Pa-


27/37



kistanis, theUS

embassy has now

demandedthat this

guy be immediately

released. And pray,how and why, un-

less all these ques-

tions are answered?

The government

should clarify when,

how, why, and if at

all, a foreign na-

tional can carry aweapon? What ex-

actly is the status of

this man, his ID and

the nature of his

work here? What is

the protocol for the

movement of Amer-

ican nationals,

whether in official

or personal capaci-ty? Are the Ameri-

cans using SOPs for

their protection that

may violate local

laws? If so, why?

The government

should set up a

website, giving in-formation on

alllegal and other

questionsthrown up

by this violent inci-

dent. It must also

tell the people why

the US embassy has

made such a de-

mand. The US gov-

ernment cannotspring the guy until

all legal issues are

settled.

Neither can the fed-

eral and Punjab

governments afford

to let him walk

away just like that.Published in The

Express Tribune,

January 31st, 2011.

Pakistan rejects US demand for Daviss release

SLAMA-

BAD: Amid callsfrom the United

States for the re-

lease of

itsdiplomatic offi-

cial Raymond Da-

vis, Pakistan has

made it clear that he

will not be handed

over to Washington

because the matter

is being probed by a

court of law.

The US embassy

has claimed diplo-matic immunity for

Davis, who is under

investigation

on double murder

charges after alleg-

edly killing two

young motorcyclists

on Thursday. A

third man was

crushed to death by

a US consulate car

that went to help

Davis following the

shooting. AbdulBasit, the spokes-

person for the For-

eign Office, toldThe

Express Trib-

une that the matter
http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111278/foreign-missions-diplomats-not-allowed-to-carry-arms/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111278/foreign-missions-diplomats-not-allowed-to-carry-arms/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111278/foreign-missions-diplomats-not-allowed-to-carry-arms/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111278/foreign-missions-diplomats-not-allowed-to-carry-arms/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111759/lahore-double-murder-pakistan-rejects-us-demand-for-daviss-release/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111759/lahore-double-murder-pakistan-rejects-us-demand-for-daviss-release/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111759/lahore-double-murder-pakistan-rejects-us-demand-for-daviss-release/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111024/ascertaining-raymond-daviss-indentity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111024/ascertaining-raymond-daviss-indentity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111024/ascertaining-raymond-daviss-indentity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111024/ascertaining-raymond-daviss-indentity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111024/ascertaining-raymond-daviss-indentity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111024/ascertaining-raymond-daviss-indentity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/109868/american-kills-pakistani-in-self-defence-police/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111024/ascertaining-raymond-daviss-indentity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111024/ascertaining-raymond-daviss-indentity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111024/ascertaining-raymond-daviss-indentity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111759/lahore-double-murder-pakistan-rejects-us-demand-for-daviss-release/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111278/foreign-missions-diplomats-not-allowed-to-carry-arms/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111278/foreign-missions-diplomats-not-allowed-to-carry-arms/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/http://tribune.com.pk/story/111305/lahore-double-murder-us-tones-up-push-for-immunity/


28/37



was sub judice in a

court of law and the

legal process should

be respected.

Presidential spokes-

person Farhatullah

Babar also made a

similar statement.

Investigations are

ongoing and the le-

gal process will

have to be respect-

ed, he told the me-dia on Sunday.

However, Babar

quashed the impres-

sion that the gov-

ernment was under

pressure from the

US. It is wrong to

say that the gov-ernment has already

decided to send Da-

vis to the US, he

said.

Prime Minister

Yousaf Raza Gilani

also broke his si-

lence on the issueon Sunday. The

federal government

is not silent over

this matter. This

matter is in the

court, Gilani told

reporters in a live

televised press con-

ference from Mul-

tan.

The Punjab gov-

ernment is conduct-

ing an inquiry into

this matter and I

would not comment

till it is completed,

he added.

Punjabs deputy

prosecutor-general,

meanwhile, claimed

that they have suffi-

cient evidence indi-

cating that Davis

didnt have a dip-

lomatic status at the

time of his arrest.

Rana Bakhtiar

told The Express

Tribune that it was

not a case of self-

defence because

Davis had shot the

motorcyclists in the

back. He added thatDavis was not enti-

tled to diplomatic

immunity because

he was holding a

business visa.

Investigators also

endorsed this view.

They said no shot

was fired from the

guns recovered onthe bodies of the

dead motorcyclists

Faizan and

Faheem. This shows

Davis had not fired

gunshots in self-

defence.

According to therules, every diplo-

mat is issued a card

while entering a

host country and

then he is listed

with the protocol

section that is called

P2.But official sources

said Davis was not

listed with the For-

eign Office as a dip-

lomat. And that a

three-day delay

from the US embas-

sy in establishingDavis as a diplomat

complicated the

case. They added

that Davis would


29/37



have to face charges

against him.

A former top bu-

reaucrat said that

only diplomats en-

joy immunity, but

that too is not blan-

ket immunity. It

depends on the situ-

ation. A diplomat is

granted immunity

when he commits a

crime while on offi-cial duty, the for-

mer foreign secre-

tary told The Ex-

press Tribuneon

condition of ano-

nymity.

Quoting Article

49(2) of the ViennaConvention, inter-

national law expert

Ahmer Bilal Sufi

said that immunity

is granted to only

those people in pos-

session of diplomat-

ic visa. Davis had

neither diplomatic

visa nor was he on

official duty.

Nonetheless, the US

embassy insists that

David is a member

of its embassys

technical and ad-

ministrative staff.

The US embassy

said in a statement

that Article 37 of

the (Vienna) Con-

vention specifically

extends the same

criminal immunity

that diplomats have

to members of the

technical and ad-ministrative staff of

an embassy.

Since Davis is enti-

tled to full criminal

immunity, he cannot

be lawfully arrested

or detained in ac-

cordance with the

convention, the

statement said.

The Western media,

however, revealed

that Davis was as-

sociated with a se-

curity contractor

from a Florida-

based firm, Hyperi-

on Protective Con-sultants, LLC. The

reports did not spec-

ify the nature of the

mission he was

working on in Paki-

stan.

Additional reporting

by Rana Tanveer inLahore

Published in The

Express Tribune,

January 31st, 2011

.

Nawaz cancels UK visit

LAHORE: Chief

of his own faction

of the Pakistan

Muslim League

(PML-N), Nawaz

Sharif on Sunday

postponed his

scheduled tour to

the UK. Sharif was

supposed to leave

raymond davis (usa nationality) part - one news report

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