Americans are known to be sticklers for the rule of law, equality and fairness; notions that seems to be only applicable for their own society and homeland. When it comes to their application in other countries, particularly those belonging to the third world, they think that these considerations can be outright disregarded.
One frequently confronts the news/sightings of US diplomats in their bullet proof SUVs, refusing to divulge their antecedents or disallowing the search of their vehicles for presence of lethal weaponry taking shelter behind the subterfuge of diplomatic immunity. I think they are all well-versed with the provisions of the Vienna Convention which doesn’t allow the diplomats to carry weapons unless issued requisite licenses by the host country. While no when can pull such a trick in US, yet the American officials serving in the US Embassy think that they can get away with these kinds of actions. The demeanour of the US diplomats also tends to give away a feeling that Americans are using the façade of diplomatic immunity to help their intelligence operatives run amok in Pakistan; something that can’t be tolerated even by countries enjoying best of relations with US.
Pakistan must be firm and enforce the writ of law within the parameters defined by the canons of the diplomatic immunity and ensure that the privileges based on decency and reciprocal courtesies are not misused by foreign diplomats.
GUL RAHMAN WAZIR
Peshawar
