Adil Najam
The man who (sometimes) calls himself Raymond Davis and has been described various as diplomat, technical adviser, intelligence operative, consulate official, CIA contractor, security consultant and much more, has been released and is already out of Pakistan. His release came as a result of a convoluted, arcane and unusual arrangement of “blood money” being paid to the families of those killed under what may or may not have been entirely voluntary circumstances. By refusing to have the case of Raymond Davis tried in a court of law, the US has decided to have it tried in the court of Pakistani public opinion. That is a case it is sure to lose!
After weeks of diplomatic tension and an obvious desire by both the US and Pakistan government for this story to ‘just go away’ this turn of events – although itself not surprising, since this has been on the cards for weeks – is likely to have many surprising results including those that neither side might wish for. But the one thing is clear: the story will not go away. Not now. And not anytime soon.
The details of his release are as murky as the details of who he really was have been, and will invariably be ‘spun’ so much by all concerned that they will soon become unrecognizable. The babbledom already created around this very strange case also means that anything that anyone wants to claim or believe, they would be able to believe and even defend. The essential details in circulation now, as reported in The Washington Post and much of the Pakistan press, are:
A CIA security contractor who fatally shot two Pakistani men in January was released Wednesday after relatives of the victims received “blood money” as compensation and agreed to pardon him, U.S. officials said. Raymond Davis was released from a Pakistani jail in Lahore after nearly two months in detention and was flown to meet with U.S. officials in Kabul. Cameron Munter, the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, accompanied Davis on the flight, a U.S. official said. “There has been a plan in the works for the last three weeks,” the official said, adding that U.S. officials had desperately worked to free Davis before a threatened murder trial began. “The concern was that if the actual murder trial started it would become very difficult to extricate him.”
… The U.S. official confirmed that so-called “blood money” had been paid to family members of the shooting victims. In Pakistan, there is a tradition of such payments in return for pardoning the perpetrator of a crime. An official close to the negotiations said three Pakistani families each received between $700,000 and $1 million as part of the deal to free Davis. In addition to the two men killed by Davis, a third Pakistani died after being struck by a vehicle carrying CIA personnel attempting to retrieve Davis after the shooting.
… A second U.S. official said that the U.S. government had yet to make any payments in connection with the case, apparently because the terms and initial payments were handled by Pakistani officials. “To date the U.S. government has not paid anybody anything,” the U.S. official said. “We expect to receive a bill.” The U.S. official said that no other concessions had been made. “There was no quid pro quo between the Pakistani and U.S. government” in connection the attempts to get Davis freed, the U.S. official said.
… A senior U.S. official said Davis was flown to Kabul because the United States wanted him out of Pakistan as soon as possible and “it was the closest place.” The official said Davis was in “good spirits,” but was not immediately asked to speak in detail about the shootings or his time in custody. “We wanted to leave that to the professionals,” the official said.
The story is unlikely to be talked about much in the US. But it is nearly certain that it will haunt the US for a long time to come. In fact, the story is now going to get even more out of control than before.
Given everything else happening in the world (uprisings in the Middle East, Tsunami in Japan, Charlie Sheen) and the US media’s obedient self-censorship and willingness to serve as State Department mouthpiece on this story it is unlikely that they will be raising any tough questions anytime soon (for example, what happened to the car and driver that ran over and killed a third bystander in its botched up attempt to ‘assist’ Mr. Davis?). But that silence and connivance has already caused as much damage as Mr. Davis’s killings. More importantly, it will make the resonance of the anger within Pakistan – and not just amongst ‘religious parties’, but within the entire fabric of society, including the so-called moderates and liberals – that much louder and more piercing for the future of this most messed-up of all messed-up international relationships. That resonance is already all too evident not just on the Pakistani media but on the Pakistani street – including, and maybe especially, on the streets in Mozang where this entire sordid tale began from.
From the very beginning this has been a story where the questions have increased over time and the answers have diminished. The facts were clearest in the minutes and moments right after the event and have been willfully made murkier ever since. The will now become murkier still. And the questions will continue to mount.
Here is an incomplete list of questions still unanswered in the official discourse, you can add your own: Who, really, is Raymond Davis? Why was he where he was and why did he do what he did? Who were the two men who were killed? What were they doing and why that led to the shooting? What about the third person killed by a US Consulate car, and what about that car and its driver? How many other ‘Raymond Davises’ are roaming about in Pakistan right now, and what are they doing? What is the precedent set here for international laws about diplomatic immunity? Is paying ‘blood money’ really a business the US wants to be in? What will the ‘blood money’ precedent mean for the US? What will it mean for Pakistan?
Spin-doctors will claim that the anger over the strange case of Raymond Davis comes from a fringe and fanatical minority. They will be wrong. Yes, the fringe and fanatical minority will use this case for all its worth to make their point. After all, they too are spin-doctors. But for too many Pakistanis – and especially for those who feel most strongly about wanting better US-Pakistan relations -this case, and even more the US reaction (not just from the US government but from the US media and citizenry) to it, has become a poignant symbol of all that is wrong with this relationship. Raymond David clearly killed two men and caused the death of at least two more. But he may also have struck another nail in the coffin of an international relationship which was never normal but which has also never been as disturbingly disturbed as it is today.
At one point in this sordid drama, US Senator John Kerry had offered that if returned Raymond Davis will be tried in a US court of law. Maybe doing exactly that, and making sure that it is a fair and transparent trial is the US’s only hope of salvaging at least some credibility. It would be a good idea to do exactly so. But no one in Pakistan is holding their breath for that to actually happen. And that, itself, is a good indicator of where this relationship stands.
Previously it was:
نابینا جنم لیتی ہے اولاد بھی اس کی
جو قوم دیا کرتی ہے تاوان میں آنکھیں
Nabeena janam leti hai aulaad bhi us ki
Jo Qoum diya karti hai taawaan mein aankhen
Now it is:
غلاموں کو جنم دے گی ہر نسل ہی اس کی
جو قوم بچتی ہے جوانوں کی لاشیں
Ghulaamon ko janam de gi har nasl hi us ki
Jo qaum bechti hai jawaanon ki laashen
Many facts are kept under cover.Extremely one-sided , unjustified, unlawful, decision.Every common Pakistani condemns it.
More comments from the ATP Facebook Page:
– “that is Ridiculous :( any paki did the same thing in EU & US can they treat them the same? why we don understand american Govt. has 2 faces ………………. Davis has done a big crime by killing innocent people so he should be punished thats all, plz don politicize it?”
– “here one thing vich is really not different one…bocz here in that forum everyone is against of America n hate american dictation….but specially guyz if they got any opertunity to go there they will never lose infect most of you people are struggled for that purpose….then why you people are against to america…n you people wana serve them for your own benefit n became a part of brain-drain…..at that time you never think about Pakistan……..LOVE you Pakistan…..”
– “Pakistan freed Raymond Davis, thank you Pakistan.
Chicago, USA.”
– “Everyone knew that it would happen, it was just a matter of time…it needs a lot of courage and character, which unfortunately no Muslim leader has, least of all Pakistani leadership. We are a nation of “Arguments for arguments sake” ONLY, BIG TALKS ONLY …and NOTHING else.
It was a public pressure to keep him for so long, if it was Mushraff this Davis guy (Not his original name) would have long gone by now.
We send our women and men to get handful of dollars: When Kansi was sent back son of that time president got millions to sale his own countryman. In reply to that one of Detroit’s senators was so angry for paying that kind of money. He said (on record) “These Pakis will sale their mothers for few hundred dollars; we do not have to pay this kind of money to “THESE KIND OF PEOPLE””
– “The irony of the CIA benefiting from sharia law. I love it”
– “Why thanking Pakistan …… Say Thanx to Saudia .. that always come to AID their MASTERS !!”
– “The nation of Pakistan should not be judged based on the actions of its deformed leaders, we need to rise above that. Greed, injustice will continue .. . signs of the last day..Sadly it happens across the world. Raymond got lucky due to his nationality but remember that Allah swt does not look at your nationality but your imaan, he will not escape the wrath of Allah swt and on that note neither will we by indulging in offensive remarks. Have faith in Allah swt. Pakistan zindabad InshAllah one day!”
– “Pakistani-Americans should now don a warm welcome to the ‘fast track’ naturalized US citizens consisting of 19 ‘rich’ family members of the murdered victims who swore never to compromise! Guess money talks and bullshit walks which is the reason why these ‘ex-Pakistanis’ chose to give up their Pakistaniat to become citizens of a country whose national killed their kith and kin in the first place. Legal but most certainly not logical!”
God bless the people who are courageous enough to fill the streets of Pakistan with protest.
Each of you should call ten others asking them to join you, who should call ten of their friends to join them, and so on…
The crowds will get bigger and bigger and you eventually topple the unjust government of Mr. 10%.
Follow the calls by Honorable Imran Khan; by Gen. Hamid Gul, who plans to be in protest tomorrow morning in civilian clothes along with his wife and children; and other courageous leaders. Bring out your families to express outrage against this injustice.
Keep the protests FOR justice, not ANTI-American and you’ll succeed. – look at Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Yemen. Maybe later in Saudi Arabia (their role is reported in Davis’ release);
Oman; Jordan; Palestine;
Join the Muslim Awakening!
Some comments from the ATP Facebook Page:
– “this is totally zalalat did by our govt. criminals…………….”
– “The thing i would like to know is HOW is this bad. Where is your extreme patriotism and religious zeal now..when that same thing is being used for something that you dont like ?”
– “Both Blasphemy Law & Dayet Law was inducted by Zia Ul Haq ! Either both are RIGHT or BOTH are Wrong ! Showering one wid Rose petals & wanting other to be Hanged till death …. Very Double Standard … Allah never Likes Double Standard …esp ..in the Name of Religion …”
– Bullshit i didnt expect lame comments from ur ends where are the Pakistani’s, Mr f**kin Davis was carefully exported out of the country he deserved to die as he committed 2 homicides ,he was supposed to be sentenced for life imprisonment but our upper level leaders are all scum bags i hope all of them are torched too …paisa kuch nai mila ga Victims ko sara kha gayan ga ya upar wala politicians mr zordariii included ..bc lota kusss ka …loosers bikayou loog .”
– “A sad day for Pakistan and our judicial system.
I am completely shocked, disappointed, angry, bewildered, saddened, confused.
Another blow to our esteem and our worth as a Nation”
– “do u want terrorists t0 come n take over it………terrorists r pr0duced n born by USA intelligence infact thr is n0 extremists except USA n its machinery”
– “All moterfucker ther zardari nawaz the nation gone vote them”
– “Dayet is a law pr0mulgated, enacted n implemented by Allah.wh0 is Zia ul Haq in beinging Deyat n Qisas laws…jaan k badly jaan, ankh k badly ankh or hath k badly hath hai………..”
– “that’s the reason some people hate pakistan bcoz of those bullshit leaders”
– ” its easy to BLAME the Hukmrans as they are already Blamed for everything & they are so Inefficient & must Blamed for that ! but may be … u forget about the Judiciary , Families , religious Parties , Army high ups & Media ….all of them have VESTED interest !!”
– “hate leaders n0t any s0il or boundary…………Pakistan is n0t resp0nsible 4 the acts, actions n reactions f its inhabitants”
– “very true sir the individuals and other sources u mentioned play a very vital role too but do for get the ones dictating all authority is zordari ass and his buddies sub ka sub amrica ka asanoun ka nicha daba hoya hain”
– “.. Jub Musharraf tha tu Zerdari na tha , Jub Zia tha tu BB na thi , NAWAZ naa tha … Sub ki sarri zindagi JAIL main guzri Jub jub FUAJ ki 36 saal ki Hukmarani rahi … so its Not ZARDARI brother ! its The BEST ALLAY of USA in the REGION” ( as per Henry Kissinger)”