Not that there ever was any doubt about the duplicitous role of the clueless PPP-led coalition at the centre, but the Raymond Davis fiasco has further highlighted its inherent incompetence and corruption. The here it shows, here it doesnt affair has practically pushed Pakistan up a blind alley with no way out. For once, the one who bears the notoriety of preaching the politics of compromise was right when he said that the government was caught between the devil and the deep sea, but what he forgot to mention was that he had no one to blame for the debacle except his own governments innate inability and ineptitude.
The government has indulged in inordinate procrastination while handling the issue, a proclivity that continues to date as it has sought another three weeks from the LHC for furnishing an answer. But, the beans were spilled by an insider, and no less than the former foreign minister, who claimed that he had been barred by his own leaders from speaking the truth. He categorically stated that Mr. Davis did not enjoy any blanket immunity as was being claimed by the United States. He said that the same was communicated to him after a thorough in-house study that also encompassed an inter-ministerial meeting attended by the representatives of the foreign office, the interior ministry and another state institution (security agencies?) and was based on two principal inputs: the law (both international and national) and the record of the case available with his office (the truth).
Senator John Kerry wore his usual smiles when he came visiting Pakistan to resolve the lingering dispute that has begun to cast ominous shadows on the US-Pakistan relations. The selection of John Kerry was meaningful in the sense that, in addition to being the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee, he was the architect of the Kerry-Lugar bill. Hidden beneath the veneer of the much-vaunted aid that would bring relief to the impoverished people of Pakistan and a promise that the US was interested in further expanding the level and scope of assistance, he urged the government to recognise the diplomatic immunity for Mr. Davis and release him. He repeated what President Obama had said a day earlier: The case does not belong in courts.
After Shah Mahmood Qureshis confessional, marking a new phase of his political career confronting the other pir from Multan, there remains little ambiguity that Mr. Davis does not enjoy diplomatic immunity. In spite of that, the governments eagerness to release him cannot be hidden which is understandable on two counts: first, the PPP government has been immorally and (now) illegally delivered into power vide the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) with the proviso that it would serve the master and, second, its principal actors have to save their precious billions stashed away in foreign accounts that can be summarily frozen if the child becomes unmanageably errant. So, what are the options before the beleaguered incubation? Only one: release Raymond Davis, pronto.
The stuck between the devil and the deep sea syndrome is lethal. If the purported CIA operative, of whom there are a few dozens more roaming the streets of Pakistan, ala Hussain Haqqani of the Washington fame, is released, the government has to be prepared for a serious peoples backlash. But, if he is not, it should face the daunting challenge of annoying its master. But, there is another way which the government, used to frequently employing treacherous methods for a bail out, is not likely to respond kindly to. That would require coming out with a viable option which lies somewhere between the facts as enunciated by the former foreign minister and the desirables as predicated by the concept of international relations.
Lets go over the other options. A sting operation conducted by the US with clandestine support from Pakistan to free the assassin? The risks are numerous including the one that it may actually not work. Pressurize the government to agree to a nocturnal mechanism that would take the assassin to the airport on his way out? The consequence could be unmanageable public anger that may spill out on the streets. Let the affair linger till it may be forgotten? Not likely as the case would be eagerly followed by the media, the political parties, the religious organisations and the people. Convince the courts to release him? After the doubts created by the defecting Shah Mahmood Qureshi, this would not be easy. Go for a settlement with the concerned families based on payment of blood money? Understandably, such efforts have failed to deliver so far. Though further complicated by the widespread hatred for the US, this remains the most likely avenue for pursuing a solution.
A no, yes, no, yes beat may not make an attractive composition. The solution can only come through a pragmatic strategy that, on the one hand, would assuage the public anger and, on the other hand, would resolve the crisis with minimal damage to the national stakes. The attendant provisos could be the immediate withdrawal of all CIA operatives from the country and ensuring that, in future, visas to US citizens are issued only as per standard operating procedures. Fear should not be an ingredient to any decision making, neither should the prospect of sacrificing national dignity. The problem is that there is really no one among the comity of political leaders to spearhead the move. What pity!
The writer is a media consultant to the Chief Minister, Punjab.
