Raymond Davis: Who dare point a finger at an American?
The international press seems sure that US diplomat Davis was acting in self-defence. Are Americans always innocent?
Earlier this week a US ‘diplomat’ shot two Pakistani men in broad daylight. Despite the dramatic nature of events there have been rational elements in our society who are still trying very hard to look at the issue objectively.
In the interest of presenting a fair picture the media has produced criminal records of the men who were shot, there have been those who have tried to justify Raymond Davis' actions by saying that Qartaba Chowk, the area of the shooting was unsafe and there are even some who have maintained that a ‘gora’ in Pakistan is always at risk.
While many of us play devil's advocate at home it is clear that the international media is doing us no such favours.
While news stories are supposed to be objective and free from personal opinion the way this incident has been reported in foreign wires shows a clear bias. The first story to hit the wires claimed that:
“a US consulate employee shot and killed two gunmen in self-defence”
Considering this report came hours after the incident and there were no confirmed reports (in fact mystery still shrouds the case), the piece assumes that the employee took the shots in self-defence and that perhaps his actions were justified.
This is not all.
As almost all news reports about Pakistan, this one too ended with the familiar lines:
“Pakistan is a vital US ally, but anti-American sentiment runs high in the mainly Muslim nation. Three US Special Operations soldiers were killed in a bomb attack last year in northwestern Pakistan, where militants are very active.”
By choosing these words the story manages to tilt the readers’ opinion. Is murder really murder in a "war-torn, terrorist haven" like Pakistan?
The reaction of the foreign media and the local government is entirely predictable.
It is depressing to know that we may never know if Raymond Davis is guilty or not because international pressures and diplomatic immunity will end up allowing him to bypass the laws.
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* http://pakistantoday.com.pk/pakistan-news/Lahore/10-Jan-2011/South-Asias-best-forensic-lab-being-built-in-LahoreLAHORE - South Asia’s most modern forensic laboratory is being built in Lahore, which will prove to be a milestone in eradicating crimes, bringing criminals to justice, investigating crimes on scientific lines and providing justice to people, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Sunday. He was addressing a meeting during a visit to the under-construction Punjab Forensic Science Agency near the Thokhar Niaz Baig. The Punjab Police inspector general, Punjab home secretary, Punjab health secretary and other senior officials were also present on the occasion. Shahbaz directed officials to accelerate construction work of the forensic laboratory. Forensic Laboratory Project Director Nayyar Mehmood gave a detailed briefing to the CM. Shahbaz said that the project is of international standards and has vital importance, which would not only help curb crimes but also trace criminals involved in heinous crimes for bringing them to justice. He said that establishment of this unique and latest laboratory would not only benefit Punjab but other provinces as well. The CM said that protection of life and property of citizens and eradication of crimes is top priority of the Punjab government and establishment of the forensic lab is an important step in this direction. He said that every life is precious for the Punjab government and funds are being provided for this important project by curtailing other expenditure. Shahbaz said that most of the work on this project would be completed by March 31 and the laboratory would start functioning by its full capacity within a few weeks. The CM said that modern training of laboratory experts has been arranged abroad and crime scene investigation, computer forensic, pathology, polygraph readers, toxicology, trace chemistry, fingerprints and death scene investigation and other sections are being established in the forensic laboratory. He said that high standards of construction work are being ensured and only local material is being used for implementation of the project. Shahbaz said that he would preside over a meeting on January 27 to review progress of the project and remove any hurdles in this regard. Briefing the CM, Mehmood said that the laboratory is being constructed on 0.2 million square feet land. He said that a public awareness campaign would also be launched by holding seminars and the print and electronic media would be requested to highlight the forensic laboratory’s importance. Earlier, the CM inspected different sections and crime investigation units of the laboratory and asked workers about their foreign training.* U.S. Provides Forensic Training and Vehicles for Punjab PoliceU.S. Consul General Carmela Conroy presented four special vehicles equipped with laptop computers, still and video cameras, microscopes, portable fingerprint workstations, ladders and generators worth Rs. 16 million ($195,000) to Punjab Provincial Police to investigate crime scenes. Food for Thought ????????? The Mystery of Raymond Davis ??????? The rules were very clear that US consulate staff were not to go anywhere without escorts, usually that meant three cars...two armed escort and the one carrying the foreign worker in the middle of the pack. If he was out there on his own the US consulate would have some questions for him...” The area (Mozang) has little to offer to any foreign official. ?????????* Raymond Davis is the contractor of US consulate for Forensic Training & Vehicles for Punjab Police ????Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
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