The PR wings of one of the anti-American religious parties couldnt have written the scene better themselves. An American shoots dead two youngsters. A colleague of his, then, in an attempt to rescue him, runs over a motorcyclist, also killing him. The American who fired the shots, then flees the scene of the crime (only to be apprehended by the police later.) The US consulate then refuses, at least till the writing of this editorial, to hand over to the police neither the vehicle nor its driver. This calls for a nice, long, tire-and-bus-burning protest.
Even if one doesnt jump to conclusions and accepts the Americans statement (self-defence) at face value, there is plenty wrong here. First of all, diplomatic staff are not supposed to carry weapons on them. Secondly, there appears to be some confusion about the accused, Raymond Davis, specifically about whether he is a diplomat in the first place. Sections of the press report he is here not on a diplomatic visa but a simple visit visa. The seemingly professional manner in which he gunned to the ground the two robbers has also gotten some attention. If this was indeed self-defence, why did he flee the scene of the crime and not call the police? This is not to mention the actions of the back-up vehicle, which he had presumably called for.
As was expected, there was an angry protest against the incident. Specially amidst false reports of the police setting the accused free. That is a record that needs to be set straight. The police did track him down and apprehend him. As per the law, he did appear in front of a magistrate within 24 hours and the due process of the law seems to be taking place here. No leniency for the US national there. The US authorities here in Pakistan need to mitigate the PR nightmare and cooperate with the demands of the Punjab Police before things get out of hand.
