Davis release – US Consulate barricaded

LAHORE – “Pakistanis should take to the streets to provide justice to our family,” Mashood-ur-Rehman, brother of Obaid-ur-Rehman, invoked protesters outside the US Consulate and the Lahore Press Club on Wednesday.
The protest against Raymond Davis’s release at the US Consulate was joined by the Jama’at-e-Islami, the Pakistan People’s Front and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) student and political wings. Slogans and stones: Protestors threw stones on the policemen and burnt US flags and chanted slogans against the Punjab and the federal governments.
A number of cars stationed outside the Lahore Press Club were damaged by the stoning. Protestors also burnt the effigies of President Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif. Protestors claimed that the baton of the movement against Davis shall be transferred to Ibad’s family.
Enter consulate, get beaten: A number of protestors were injured when police resorted to a baton-charg after a few protestors attempted to enter the US consulate. Following the baton charge, police and protestors continued to play hide and seek for several hours. In response, the students amongst the protestors began to scuffle with policemen in order to gain entry to the consulate and began burning the barbed wires outside it.
Speaking to the protestors, Mashood-ur-Rehman said the decision to let Raymond Davis go was unfortunate. He criticized the government and appealed to the public to take to the streets. “Raymond’s release has given a licence to the American government to kill our citizens and pay money in return,” he said. Criticizing the media, he said Ibad’s killing was ignored by the media.
‘Hang’ Davis? Protestors held the Punjab government responsible for Raymond Davis’ release and continued to demand that Davis be hanged. They said that though Davis has been pardoned by the families of Faheem and Faizan, Obaid’s family still awaits justice. ISF protestors said that the timing of Davis’ release was crucial with the Sharif brothers outside the country.
They questioned, “When the police had recovered a pistol, loaded magazines, a GPS navigation system and a small telescope from Davis’ car, why did the government not launch an espionage case against Davis?” Ameer-ul-Azeem, a JI leader, addressing the protestors, said that the Punjab government ‘forced’ the families of Faheem and Faizan to sign the blood money deal.
He said, “This was done by those who got recent job extensions. Davis was a spy and the Punjab government presented a weak case. Davis had sensitive information about Pakistan but the government let him go despite this.”