Raymond Davis and the Rules of Engagement
By Misbah U. Azam, PhD
Fremont , CA
The debate on the Raymond Davis issue appears to be getting deadlocked and most media anchors are spending time to connect the dots according to their understanding to prove that Davis is a cold-blooded murderer. Some of the anchors are the ones who came up with “analysis” reports after the Mumbai attacks and concluded that Pakistani citizens had nothing to do with the attacks and India itself was responsible for the incident!
The million rupee question is: what does justice demand? Does justice require that Davis is freed of any charge and sent back to the US in the “national interest” or does it dictate that he is convicted on murder charges?
In the debate currently raging, most voices have already opined that justice will be served only if Davis is convicted. As expected, the religious parties who miserably failed to make any political gain from the blasphemy law, got another chance to strengthen their political standing. The irony is that when hundreds of Pakistanis are killed in suicide bombings, none of these voices -- even of the “men of integrity” in the media -- demand justice for those who publicly take responsibility of the crime. Instead, some of the senior journalists are found defending such individuals by insisting that they are “naraz” (not happy) people and advise wooing them. Why do they part with their principles so conveniently?
If people really want to see justice done, let the Davis case be decided by the courts and the victims’ families left to themselves to decide what they want instead of pressuring them not to opt for a compromise formula. However, if their agenda is only to give a bloody nose to the US then the story is different and we all have to brace up for the consequences.
The Punjab police must investigate honestly and find out all the facts about Davis. At the same time, people of Pakistan deserve to know about the two motorcycle victims who were in possession of five cell phones of different companies – the families claim they were running cell phone business -- and foreign currency, as per the police report. It is unnecessary to keep on asking the US Consulate in Lahore about those who slaughtered Ibadur Rehman on the streets of Lahore under the wheels of a car. Instead, the government of Pakistan, on behalf of Ibad’s family, should hire a lawyer in the US and discuss with him/her the options of how the drivers responsible for Ibad's death should be brought to justice.
Pakistan and the US understand very well how vital their relations with each other are. Both countries must discuss and agree not only how to proceed in Davis’ case so that it is acceptable to Pakistan, US and the victims’ families, but also the rules of engagement in the future.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
