There is no disputing the fact that the federal government has mishandled the Raymond Davis case. Thats exactly what Mian Nawaz Sharif indicated during his media talk after his meeting with US Senator John Kerry who made a dash to Pakistan Tuesday evening, seeking release of the American official detained on the charges of double murder.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik wasted no time in dropping a hint about Islamabad certifying Davis diplomatic immunity. Speaking in the Senate less than a week after the double-shooting incident in Lahore, he went on to add, Raymond Davis holds a diplomatic passport he travelled to Pakistan on a diplomatic visa given [to him] after clearance by security agencies of the country. Pakistan is a signatory of certain international protocols and conventions (on diplomatic immunity), which we cannot violate.
Then there was an endorsement and it came in handy. This time it was PPP Information Secretary Fauzia Wahab taking the people by surprise by declaring that Pakistan would have to abide by the international laws as the detained US national had an official visa and was thus entitled to diplomatic immunity. Feeling the heat of criticism from the opposition and fearing public outrage, the Presidents spokesman Farhatullah Baber readily distanced the government as well as the PPP leadership from her statement saying she had only expressed her personal views which were not in conformity with the official stance.
But while the Interior Minister and the PPPs Information Secretary were giving their opinions candidly, our Foreign Offices silence has been deafening. There wasnt a word about the status of Raymond Davis. Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi would now have us believe that he had made it clear to both the Americans and his own government that the detained US national did not qualify for blanket immunity. Even though he didnt say, he implicitly strengthened the public perception that he was dropped from the cabinet because he refused to help the government grant a certificate of total immunity to Davis.
Notwithstanding his observation that the Foreign Office, Interior Ministry and other concerned departments unanimously held that the American official accused of double shooting was not entitled to blanket immunity, the question remains why did it take him so long to break the silence. Why did he and the FO keep mum when Rehman Malik gave a contradictory statement in the Senate? All this translates into a complete lack of coordination between the top functionaries of the federal government and the PPP leadership.
The PML (N) took advantage of the situation and brought the federal government under pressure at a time when the Davis case was casting a chill over an already uneasy relation between Pakistan and the United States. And when it comes to playing politics, Mian Nawaz is at his best. One wonders if he had articulated his position to Senator Kerry as forcefully as he did in the subsequent press briefing. Probably not. While he knew he could use the deadly shooting as a rallying cry, he also understood that there were limits he was bound not to cross when directly interacting with his distinguished American guest.
The PML(N) leadership was seen taking a swipe at the PPP government for capitulating to the US dictates but its own track record has not been very impressive in this regard. It was during Mian Nawazs first term as prime minister that Aimal Kansi was quietly handed over to the Americans. The shameful act could not have happened without the governments complicity. If today Raymond Davis is detained, the credit goes to the electronic media which showed the footage shortly after the incident of double shooting had taken place.
The federal government cannot escape the blame for being complicit in deciding whether the US official was entitled to diplomatic immunity. But as far as the Punjab Governments handling of the issue is concerned, it has raised more questions than it answered. For instance, why wasnt Davis booked in 7 ATA and his case referred to the Anti-terrorist court for a speedy trial as normally happens in this kind of incidents? Why has the police not submitted the challan of this case to the trial court so far? And how did the American driver of the back-up van which killed another citizen manage to flee the country?
Mian Nawaz and the kid brother would not have felt embarrassed had Senator Kerry insisted on meeting Raymond Davis in jail. They knew he was being properly looked after and was provided every facility which is disallowed to other prisoners under the Jail Manual; he freely use his cell phone to talk to his family and friends and also has a prison staff at his disposal to serve him Chinese and US cuisines whenever he wants. But while all this is hidden from the public eye, the PML(N) leadership can continue exploiting the popular sentiment.
The writer is Executive Editor, Pakistan Today.
