In August of 2008 the National Intelligence Council, the US intelligence community's focal point for estimating future developments, warned the George W. Bush administration that military operations in Pakistan would further destabilize the country and further enrage the people of Pakistan.
The NIC warning has gone unheeded. US military activities in Pakistan have increased under the current administration, perhaps most notably in the form of drone strikes, which the Pakistanis say have killed mostly civilians.
A 2010 Pew Research Center survey confirms that 84% of the people of Pakistan are dissatisfied with their country's direction. Pakistan ranks second only to Lebanon in their level of dissatisfaction.
This brings us to the case of Raymond A. Davis. Who is he and what was he doing in Pakistan?
The mystery of American Raymond A. Davis, currently imprisoned in the custody of local police in Lahore, Pakistan and charged with the Jan. 27 murder of two young men, whom he allegedly shot eight times with pinpoint accuracy through his car windshield, is growing increasingly murky. Also growing is the anger among Pakistanis that the US is trying to spring him from a Punjab jail by claiming diplomatic immunity. On Feb. 4, there were massive demonstrations, especially in Lahore, demanding that Davis be held for trial, an indication of the level of public anger at talk of granting him immunity.
Dave Lindorff
Davis claimed that the two men on motorcycles he shot with his Berretta pistol had threatened him and attempted to rob him and that he shot them in self-defense. After the shooting he got out of his rented Honda Civic and photographed both of his victims. The shooting took place in a busy commercial district in Lahore, which is located in northeastern Pakistan.
Lindorff writes (same link as above in the intro) that reporter Shaukat Qadir of the Pakistani Express Tribune says he has been informed by Lahore police authorities that:
the two dead motorcyclists were each shot two times, “probably the fatal shots,” in the back by Davis. They were also both shot twice from the front. Such ballistics don’t mesh nicely with a protestation of self-defense.
In addition to the shooting a back-up vehicle coming to the aid of Davis, reportedly driving in the wrong lane of traffic, ran over and killed another person. The driver of the back-up vehicle was rushed out of Pakistan and is now back in the US.
The American sought for arrest, who the State Department only identified as a member of the U.S. embassy's staff in Islamabad, Pakistan, was behind the wheel when he struck and killed a bystander while racing to the aid of U.S. "technical advisor" Raymond Davis.
ABC News
Here, at
this link, a separate Lindorff link, there is a photo from the Pakistani newspaper, Dawn, showing the equipment, weapons and ammo Davis had in his vehicle.
Some items found might be considered somewhat unusual if Davis was as he claimed, a consultant at the Consular General in Lahore. These include a Glock handgun, a flashlight that attaches to a headband, and a pocket telescope. There was a large number of cellphones, including at least one satellite phone, a cellphone tracker, a collection of batteries, large quantity of ammo, both for the Glock and the Beretta allegedly used by Davis to kill the two motorcyclists and some 30-round magazines for an M-16.
There also were military knives, wires, wire cutters, high-capacity magazines for the handguns, and also some very odd items, masks and makeup. In addition there was a camera with photos of madrassas and other religious buildings in the Lahore area and photos of Pakistani military installations.
According to ABC News and Pakistani officials:
the two men had been sent to track Raymond Davis by the Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, which believed that Davis had crossed "a red line" and needed to be followed.
In late January, those officials say, Davis was asked to leave an area of Lahore restricted by the military. His cell phone was tracked, said one government official, and some of his calls were made to the Waziristan tribal areas, where the Pakistani Taliban and a dozen other militant groups have a safe haven. Pakistani intelligence officials saw him as a threat who was "encroaching on their turf," the official said.
As for Davis himself, he spent 10 years in US Special Forces. When caught by Pakistani authorities he was found to have had business cards indicating that he had operated a security company in the US. The address, in Orlando Florida, was checked and found to be a vacant storefront with nothing inside. Evidence suggests that he was working for the US, either in some intelligence branch, or as an employee of some mercenary-for-hire contractor like Xe (Blackwater).
The US is pressuring the Pakistani national government to hand over Davis to the US. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton refused to meet the Pakistani foreign minister at the Munich security conference but met with the army chief, Gen Kayani and delivered a stern demand for Davis’ release. A visiting US Congressional delegation informed President Zardari that US aid would be threatened if Davis were not released immediately.
President Obama sent John Kerry to Pakistan in an effort to obtain the release of Davis. Obama declares Davis is protected by 'simple diplomatic immunity' and implies consequences if Davis is not released. Kerry promises Davis will face a criminal trial in the US.
His case has become a bitter point of contention between Washington and Islamabad. US officials have said Davis shot in self-defense when two armed men on a motorcycle tried to rob him.
Pakistani police officials have said they plan to try him for murder, arguing that while the Pakistanis did have a loaded gun, there was no round in the chamber. They also claim Davis shot one man as he was trying to flee.
Regardless of guilt, the U.S. says the detention of Davis, a former Special Forces soldier and an embassy worker, is illegal under international agreements covering diplomats. A chorus of American officials have called for his release on the grounds of diplomatic immunity, including Mr Obama.
Daily Mail
Under Pakistani law, only actual consular functionaries, not service workers at embassy and consulate, have diplomatic status. Furthermore, no immunity would apply in the case of “serious” crimes--and certainly murder is as serious as it gets.
The US media have been uncritically quoting the State Department as saying that Pakistan is “violating” the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 by holding Davis in jail on murder charges. Those reporters should check the actual document.
Section II, Article 41 of the treaty, in its first paragraph regarding the “Personal inviolability of consular officers,” states:
“Consular officers shall not be liable to arrest or detention pending trial, except in the case of a grave crime and pursuant to a decision by the competent judicial authority.”
In other words, the prosecution, police and judicial authorities in Lahore and the state of Punjab are doing exactly what they are supposed to do in holding Davis on murder charges, pending a judicial determination concerning whether or not he can properly claim diplomatic immunity. The US claim that Pakistan is violating the convention is simply nonsense.
Meanwhile, families of the slain men reported that they had been approached and offered large sums of money as well as ‘green cards’ to drop charges but that they had refused the offers. To further inflame the situation, it has been reported that the grief-stricken 18-year old wife of one of the young men killed, losing hope of any redress, swallowed rat poison and killed herself.
Dave Lindorff notes that an unnamed former long-time Army Special Forces veteran familiar with black-ops:
... speculates that Davis may still be in the Special Forces. He says, "Consider the strong possibility of our man being active-duty military, not Agency, not contract. Military people from special units have more and more taken responsibility for covert ops, especially those that involve shooting."
This veteran adds, "Military folks are sometimes given an "official" cover, ie, a diplomatic passport and some BS story about what they do (consular section, eg). This is a problem, because it violates agreements with the host nations about reporting how many military are in country, and covers some sensitive operations. Thus the panic of the Department of State et al right now."
Dave Lindorff
This speculation can be backed up with information in a
New York Times piece from 24 May of 2010 which states:
The secret directive, signed in September by Gen. David H. Petraeus, authorizes the sending of American Special Operations troops to both friendly and hostile nations in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Horn of Africa to gather intelligence and build ties with local forces.
Not to be unexpected, the details presented by different sources vary to some degree. Sources are listed below for those interested in further reading. There is much more to the story. I have only scratched the surface. Some of the links also provide additional insight in the form of comments.
Links for diary content:
Dave Lindorff on Counterpunch
ABC News
Sic Semper Tyrannis
Daily Mail
Pew Research
Dawn.com Pakistan
This Can't Be Happening - 9 Feb 2011
This Can't Be Happening - 14 Feb 2011
This Can't Be Happening - 16 Feb 2011
This Can't Be Happening - 20 Feb 2011
Daily Mail UK
Daily Times Pakistan
Gareth Porter for Anti-War.com
New York Times
DKos Diary 15 Feb 2011 by danps
DKos Diary 13 Feb 2011 by Magnifico
The Guardian 20 Feb 2011