What Washington fails to realise is that it is adding to its unpopularity by jacking up pressure on Islamabad to seek Raymond Davis release without trial. What is more, it is helping to destabilise an elected government which is cooperating with it in fighting terrorism. Reports about Ambassador Munter having conveyed a stern message to President Zardari would be interpreted as an attempt to browbeat the government; so would the report regarding Secretary of State Clinton having conveyed to Islamabad that she would not meet Foreign Minister Qureshi at Munich, leading to the sudden cancellation of the latters visit.Other pressure tactics include putting bilateral contacts with Pakistan on hold. The visit by US Deputy Secretary of State for Treasury has suddenly been postponed. It has been learnt that President Zardaris visit to Washington is in jeopardy too. The crucial trilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of the United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan will now be held when the issue of Davis is resolved. It is being indicated that the diplomatic row could affect the $1.5 billion of annual assistance for Pakistan as well.
While Raymond Davis carries a diplomatic passport, it remains to be determined if he is to be treated as a part of the US embassy in Islamabad or the US Consulate in Lahore, to ascertain the extent of the immunity he is entitled to. The US itself has changed its stance on the issue over time and in fact failed to claim immunity for a full forty eight hours. Now it is pressurising Pakistan to carry out its dictation or face the consequences.
Raymond Davis affair has already inflamed public sentiments in Pakistan. The refusal by the US Consulate to hand over a vehicle and its driver who overran a third Pakistani while rushing to Davis rescue is seen as a brazen act of humiliation. Fresh fuel has been added to fire by the suicide of the young wife of one of Davis victims after she found that Davis was likely to be released unpunished. What the US fails to realise is that by insisting on Davis immediate release it is compromising the position of the government and of those outside who stand by Washington in the fight against extremism and terrorism. What the US has to realise is that incidents of high-handedness, pressure and diktat in the past nullified the impact of the American aid and assistance and unleashed instead a wave of hostility against the US in Pakistan as well as the Muslim world at large. The best way out is to let the courts decide the case, with both sides accepting the decision.
