ISLAMABAD – While the killing of two Pakistanis by an American diplomat has already angered the nation, chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator Talha Mahmood on Sunday dropped a bombshell saying US officials were present at sensitive installations and other places across the country under the cover of being diplomats.
As questions are already being raised about the assignment and identity of Raymond Davis, who killed two Pakistanis in Lahore, Senator Talha’s revelation has corroborated the reports about increasing presence of under cover US officials and their free movement in Pakistan.
Addressing a press conference, Senator Talha condemned the Lahore incident, saying diplomatic immunity did not mean that a diplomat had a “licence to kill”. He said blood of Pakistanis was not so cheap to be spilled on roads. Talha rejected the argument demanding special privileges and blanket immunity for Davis for being a “diplomat”.
“The government must first check whether Davis is a diplomat,” he said.
The senator also lamented that the government’s stance on the issue was weak. “The police had registered the case under improper sections, which would weaken the prosecution,” he added. Sensing the gravity of the incident, Chairman of National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior Abdul Qadir Patel has also summoned a meeting of the committee today (Monday) to take up the issue.
Senator Talha added that the number of BlackWater officials in Pakistan was increasing as the US was facing difficulty in achieving its objectives in the region.
“The weapon the alleged diplomat used to kill two Pakistani boys is banned under international law,” he added.
