American ‘Rambo’ Raymond Davis has been let loose through a state-managed drama aimed at hoodwinking the entire nation. Every self-respecting Pakistani is ashamed today. The memory of all of us is still resonating with the soul-scathing remarks of a US Attorney General, who once said: “Pakistanis will sell their mothers for 100 dollars.”
No matter how hard our ruling brass may try to absolve themselves of the responsibility for earning the nation this indignation, none of them would ever be; neither President Zardari nor Prime Minister Gilani, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani, ISI chief Ahmad Shuja Pasha and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Hussain Haqqani.
Though the premise of Diyat (blood money) is there, Raymond had not only killed two Pakistani citizens in cold blood, he was also in all probability guilty of espionage and thus responsible for the killings of tens of thousands of innocent civilians who lost their lives in drone attacks, suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism taking place in every nook and cranny of the country.
The Raymond case could only be equated with that of Aimal Kansi who killed two CIA officials in America and was later shifted from Pakistan to the States in a similar sell-out. Kansi was then sentenced to death in the US. With the Raymond episode scratching our wounds, the proud people of Pakistan, having felt the insult to the core, are asking one plain question, why on earth our rulers decided to treat an American differently.
But as put before, Raymond’s is not the only shameful precedent. Ramzi Yousaf was another one handed over to the Americans for petty gains in a similar manner. Then there is Aafia Siddiqui who was initially accused of snatching a rifle from an American solider but ended up getting a prolonged jail term in the US. It was much time after her arrest that we all came to learn that Aafia too was handed over to the Americans by our security agencies. What a shame.
The legal bailout for Raymond in itself is reflective of the overall agreement of our rulers to keep the nation subservient to the foreign masters for vested interests. Raymond was indicted Wednesday morning at a point in time when all the relatives of the victims were there in the courtroom. A pre-indictment meeting was arranged for the killer, his aides and the legal heirs of the slain who struck a ‘shameful deal’, pardoning Raymond for the murder in ‘cold blood’ of their dear ones, those whom every one of us felt the pain for. The judge accepted and legalised the settlement without needing to have the deal confirmed independently or see the implications of espionage allegations. Then the court took up the second case of illegal weapons in Raymond’s possession. The judge fined him Rs 30,000 and meted out a suspended jail term effective from the day of arrest to the day of release to let the ‘worthy’ state guest walk out chin up as if his conduct was that of a true gentleman whose one-off mistake shall warrant only a slap on the wrist.How the deal was done and who got their hands dirty, seems more important a question at this stage though. In this regard, the people may also need to know if our great leaders of the Muslim world – Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirate – facilitated the release of the heartless murderer in any manner.
Some are of the view that the deal started taking its shape when John Kerry came on a special plane to Lahore and reminded the Pakistanis of what the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said about forgiving a killer. This could well have been fed to him by (Allama) Hussain Haqqani who is paid the Pakistan taxpayers’ money to protect and safeguard the American interest both in Washington and back home. This ‘great son of the soil’ is the same gentleman who forced inclusion of some clauses in the draft of the Kerry-Lugar Bill aimed at clipping the wings of the Pakistan Army generals.
All said and done, it was clear to many, at least to those who had a hand in the deal, what March 16 would be like. PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif left early for London and got himself admitted to a hospital for a heart disorder. On the eve of the disgraceful release, his brother Shahbaz Sharif silently left for London to be on the bedside of his ailing brother. They, in their wisdom, may have befooled the people, but history has it’s own way to remember.
There is no dearth of pseudo-intellectuals, journalist-turned-anchors, who have long been pleading the release of the killer in the name of national interest. They thought if Raymond were sentenced, it would jeopardise Pak-US relations. One could only cry over their logic and wisdom. Do they think our bilateral relations with the US have even been enviable since the start of the war on terror? The manner in which the Americans have bullied us and at the same time encouraged India to treat us like a banana republic, needs no mention. It’s now an open secret.
One of these television anchors had the audacity of calling the release of the US killer a right step in the right direction. But let him be assured that it would not earn him the ambassadorship of the United States that he has long been longing for.
How the nation will react to this shameful act (of release), is difficult to tell. Wednesday witnessed some protest demonstrations. Religious organisations and religio-political parties are expected to vent out their anger on Friday after Juma prayers. How the authorities are going to handle the protests, needs to be seen.
For now this comment on a blog says it all: “We all know had the ‘Rambo’ come from a poor African country, he would have been left to languish in a prison for the rest of his life. But masters are masters, and we are a spineless, shameless people who try to call ourselves a nation. Such nations deserve this treatment and until and unless we put our own house in order, we will be treated like this – always.”
There is also a growing perception that Raymond Davis’ release is the outcome of a deal between the CIA and the ISI. If so, the nation must be told what has been gained in terms of bilateral relations. It’s time for the authorities to come out clean and tell the people how much they have sold the nation for.
No matter how hard our ruling brass may try to absolve themselves of the responsibility for earning the nation this indignation, none of them would ever be; neither President Zardari nor Prime Minister Gilani, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani, ISI chief Ahmad Shuja Pasha and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Hussain Haqqani.
Though the premise of Diyat (blood money) is there, Raymond had not only killed two Pakistani citizens in cold blood, he was also in all probability guilty of espionage and thus responsible for the killings of tens of thousands of innocent civilians who lost their lives in drone attacks, suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism taking place in every nook and cranny of the country.
The Raymond case could only be equated with that of Aimal Kansi who killed two CIA officials in America and was later shifted from Pakistan to the States in a similar sell-out. Kansi was then sentenced to death in the US. With the Raymond episode scratching our wounds, the proud people of Pakistan, having felt the insult to the core, are asking one plain question, why on earth our rulers decided to treat an American differently.
But as put before, Raymond’s is not the only shameful precedent. Ramzi Yousaf was another one handed over to the Americans for petty gains in a similar manner. Then there is Aafia Siddiqui who was initially accused of snatching a rifle from an American solider but ended up getting a prolonged jail term in the US. It was much time after her arrest that we all came to learn that Aafia too was handed over to the Americans by our security agencies. What a shame.
The legal bailout for Raymond in itself is reflective of the overall agreement of our rulers to keep the nation subservient to the foreign masters for vested interests. Raymond was indicted Wednesday morning at a point in time when all the relatives of the victims were there in the courtroom. A pre-indictment meeting was arranged for the killer, his aides and the legal heirs of the slain who struck a ‘shameful deal’, pardoning Raymond for the murder in ‘cold blood’ of their dear ones, those whom every one of us felt the pain for. The judge accepted and legalised the settlement without needing to have the deal confirmed independently or see the implications of espionage allegations. Then the court took up the second case of illegal weapons in Raymond’s possession. The judge fined him Rs 30,000 and meted out a suspended jail term effective from the day of arrest to the day of release to let the ‘worthy’ state guest walk out chin up as if his conduct was that of a true gentleman whose one-off mistake shall warrant only a slap on the wrist.How the deal was done and who got their hands dirty, seems more important a question at this stage though. In this regard, the people may also need to know if our great leaders of the Muslim world – Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirate – facilitated the release of the heartless murderer in any manner.
Some are of the view that the deal started taking its shape when John Kerry came on a special plane to Lahore and reminded the Pakistanis of what the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said about forgiving a killer. This could well have been fed to him by (Allama) Hussain Haqqani who is paid the Pakistan taxpayers’ money to protect and safeguard the American interest both in Washington and back home. This ‘great son of the soil’ is the same gentleman who forced inclusion of some clauses in the draft of the Kerry-Lugar Bill aimed at clipping the wings of the Pakistan Army generals.
All said and done, it was clear to many, at least to those who had a hand in the deal, what March 16 would be like. PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif left early for London and got himself admitted to a hospital for a heart disorder. On the eve of the disgraceful release, his brother Shahbaz Sharif silently left for London to be on the bedside of his ailing brother. They, in their wisdom, may have befooled the people, but history has it’s own way to remember.
There is no dearth of pseudo-intellectuals, journalist-turned-anchors, who have long been pleading the release of the killer in the name of national interest. They thought if Raymond were sentenced, it would jeopardise Pak-US relations. One could only cry over their logic and wisdom. Do they think our bilateral relations with the US have even been enviable since the start of the war on terror? The manner in which the Americans have bullied us and at the same time encouraged India to treat us like a banana republic, needs no mention. It’s now an open secret.
One of these television anchors had the audacity of calling the release of the US killer a right step in the right direction. But let him be assured that it would not earn him the ambassadorship of the United States that he has long been longing for.
How the nation will react to this shameful act (of release), is difficult to tell. Wednesday witnessed some protest demonstrations. Religious organisations and religio-political parties are expected to vent out their anger on Friday after Juma prayers. How the authorities are going to handle the protests, needs to be seen.
For now this comment on a blog says it all: “We all know had the ‘Rambo’ come from a poor African country, he would have been left to languish in a prison for the rest of his life. But masters are masters, and we are a spineless, shameless people who try to call ourselves a nation. Such nations deserve this treatment and until and unless we put our own house in order, we will be treated like this – always.”
There is also a growing perception that Raymond Davis’ release is the outcome of a deal between the CIA and the ISI. If so, the nation must be told what has been gained in terms of bilateral relations. It’s time for the authorities to come out clean and tell the people how much they have sold the nation for.
