Pakistan

Lahore Shooting: US consulate refuses to hand over accused

US consulate refuses provincial govt's demand to hand over the other accused Americans.

Express February 09, 2011

The US consulate refused to hand over the remaining accused in the Lahore shooting incident to the Punjab Government on Wednesday.

The Punjab government had barred three more Americans from travelling outside Pakistan on February 7 owing to their involvement in the Lahore shootings. They are accused of running their vehicle over a motorcyclist while trying to rescue Raymond Davis, a detained US citizen, who was involved in a shootout that killed two other men.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that the consulate had been asked by the Punjab government to hand over the vehicle and the driver responsible for motorcyclist Ibadur Rehman’s death minutes after Davis had shot dead two people on January 27.

This is the second time that the US consulate has refused the provincial government's demand, Express 24/7 reported.

An official from the federal interior ministry, through the Foreign Office, has also written to the US consulate asking for the three accused to be handed over to the Punjab police.

US lawmakers also threatened Pakistani leaders on Tuesday of cutting aid to the country if Davis is not released. They claimed that Davis was on a diplomatic mission and should be provided diplomatic immunity.

COMMENTS (56)

Ayaz khan | 13 years ago | Reply Correct me if I am wrong Who is actually benefiting from this drama? Politically speaking, Muslim League Nawazsharif ( MLN) or the parties not in Power. Yes indeed, situation would have not been different if the MLN were in power. And who knows about the 'closed door meeting' betwenn Jonh Kerry and Mian Nawaz Sharif? No party has any clear vision about internal and external policies of the country and most of the policies are passive or media oriented. And so far we have not yet reached the conclusion that who determines the Diplomatic Immunity ? The host country, where the embassy is based or the state who sends the diplomatic staff to the Embassy and Can the status or immunity of staff be changed overnight? And which law is superior, Manciple or International and why? but the way Foreign Minister of Pakistan is removed from his office over the disputed stance regarding status of immunity enjoyed by Davis, is a clear evidence that personal interests are more important than national interest. The question is very simple here. If a state is not capable of protecting its citizens from external or internal aggression, then where does it stand in the definition of 'Sovereign State'?

stuart | 13 years ago | Reply I think we may find that the Pakistanis killed were in fact terrorists. If Pakistan cannot control the insurgents then someone else has to. Most of the terrorist trouble in the world has been caused by by Pakistanis either directly or indirectly. There are numerous training camps and all terrorist incidents worldwide seem to have a trip to Pakistan for training somewhere in their stories. If the truth comes out then we will find that the individuals killed had some links to terrorism.Yes summary justice is tough but it is the only way to protect the rest of us. We should all be thankful that brave guys like Raymond Davis are there to protect us by getting those that are responsible for the many atrocities against innocent people all over the globe. it's time for Pakistan to sort their people out, and stop the Islamic fundamentalists from wrecking the planet. Everyones freedom and right of free speech has diminished in the last 30 years as a direct cause of these hate mongers. They have to be stopped so the future is fair for all. We all suffer because of the actions of these mindless morons. Seems there is no justice in Pakistan anyway. Only last week a 14 year old girl was lashed to death in public. What was her crime?.. she was raped by a 40 year old married guy. Was anyone arrested... no!! Its time to sort out Pakistan. If they don't then the solution is simple.... close it . If they can't behave responsibly then there is no place for them in the rest of the world. If no visas no planes no people were allowed in or out you would see how fast they would resolve the problem. How quickly would Osama bin Laden be found. We have been too soft for too long and patience is wearing thin. Time to sort out the real problem!!

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the pragmatic | 13 years ago | Reply @American: Ignorant .. not a good thing to be.. but you wouldnt know .. NOTHING was happening till you the so called "civilized" buffons showed up in the neighbourhood ... and for the prize ... Raymond's kids will never see him again .. and neither would we (a PLUS for mankind !!!!!) .... Raw Justice.. that is the prize...

Story-Unwind | 13 years ago | Reply @Waiting4Revolution: Well said.....

American | 13 years ago | Reply @the pragmatic: No prize for you for this innovation Its happening across Pakistan already...

the pragmatic | 13 years ago | Reply @Fact Check: You go all out showing the lack of INTELLECT!!!!! eventually you americans will snap out of the FANTASY you people have been living in ... your TRILLION dollars havent defeated the 'RAG-TAG' charcters yet... for that matter what have you people won? and when? just remember... ignorance (whicih americans have in abundance) is a bliss to a certain extent.. beyond that it becomes a liability ...

Khalid Rahim | 13 years ago | Reply Are the Americans anticipating the 1979 Tehran situation? Will they be helped by their proteges in this matter thus paving the way for open confrontation on both fronts. We have always been myopic in our vision and today with the leadership at the helm of affairs even Angels would fear to tread here.

the pragmatic | 13 years ago | Reply Very simple solution to this "DIPLOMATIC SPAT" as some call it ... Gather a MOB outside the court room, and free the sucker on "DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY" - no police escorts or security ... and let the DOGS out .. Dont think he will MAKE it to the american counselate .. Americans will get their wish, IMMUNITY, and the "JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED .. Think Innovation damit ...

Hellis4udear | 13 years ago | Reply its osama not obama.

Hellis4udear | 13 years ago | Reply Well.. aag se khelnewalo ke haath bhi aag hi jalaati hai.. Pakistan has long preserved the dawoods, shakeels and osama.. etc etc.. from this world.. thriving on ransom money from america for so called war on terrorism.. even to sustain its basic needs.. and then suddenly remember their so called sovereignity which is at held hostage in white house... Everyone needs to pay for their actions.. bcoz this world is round... u come where u go... May their souls rest in peace...

Asif | 13 years ago | Reply 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 prosecutorial, 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. There is also the matter of double standards. The US routinely violates the Vienna Diplomatic Accord that governs international diplomatic rights. Some Pakistani publications, meanwhile, are speculating that Davis, beyond simple spying, may have been involved in subversive activities in the country, possibly linked to the wave of terror bombings that have been destabilizing the central government. They note that both of the slain motorcyclists (the third dead man appears to have been an innocent victim of the incident) were themselves armed with pistols, though neither had apparently drawn his weapon. Davis has so far not said why he was driving, heavily armed, without anyone else in his vehicle, in a private rental car in a business section of Lahore where foreign embassy staff would not normally be seen. He is reportedly remaining silent and is leaving all statements to the US Embassy. The US claim that Davis has diplomatic immunity hinges first and foremost on whether he is actually a “functionary” of the consulate. According to Lahore police investigators, he was arrested carrying a regular US passport, which had a business visa, not a diplomatic visa. The US reportedly only later supplied a diplomatic passport carrying a diplomatic visa that had been obtained not in the US before his departure, but in Islamabad, the country’s capital. What has not been reported in the US media, but which reporter Shaukat Qadir of the Pakistani Express Tribune, says has been stated by Lahore police authorities, is 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.

Sean | 13 years ago | Reply @Fact Check: Dude you cant be a Pakistani! You have way too much sense!

Sean | 13 years ago | Reply @Waiting4Revolution These guys are ISI operatives. They are not boys or kids. They are MEN! Yes everyone knows what a tail is. Yes people don’t go shooting their tails unless something went really badly. You are presuming that the tail did nothing. Maybe they were trying to hand him to some al qaeda types given the intimate like between the jihadis and most of Pakistani govt., military, and intelligence agencies. eg Danny Pearl. Also there are tons of stories about diplomatic folks being beaten in Pakistan by their “tails”. There was some diplomat from a middle east country here who got drunk here in USA and killed a pedestrian, and he had to be let go too since he was under diplomatic cover. Tons of people get blown to bits daily in your country and there is not a peep about it in the press. How many bombings in Pakistan since ray Davis killed those two operatives? hmmmm?

karachiite | 13 years ago | Reply @Watty: unfortunate incident if when you run over a cat not when you murder 3 human beings and expect to go scot free

Fact Check | 13 years ago | Reply @Sajjad Ashraf: Care to explain, "What Rule of Law" prevails in Pakistan. To us, outsiders, "Rule of Law" in Pakistan looks like myth. Seriously, what rule of law prevails in Pakistan. Your politicians doesn't abide by your Supreme Court Rulings. Didn't the Supreme Court of Pakistan rule against Zardari and Rehman Malik? Didn't Gilani refuse to enforce them. So explain to the uninformed, what rule of law are you yelling about? Which court is going to interpret the Rule of Law? Punjab government? Federal government? Let us assume, if I want to defend Mr. Davis in Pakistan where would I find a Law Books? Would he tried under blasphemy law since he shot two Muslims and Mr. Davis is not Muslim? I do not expect you to understand the issues here just like the idiot Pakistani Professor in Toronto who wrote a ridiculous article in the News or Dawn (forget which one). Mr. Davis is a diplomat and he has immunity. Pakistan doesn't know what any laws mean, especially International Laws, in your myopic view, you want to punish Mr. Davis. If you do, what would Pakistan do when every country that honor Vienna Convention pulls out of Pakistan cuts off all diplomatic contact? No aid, no trade,. Want to become another Iran or North Korea, go right ahead. We are not backing down because, we know Mr. Davis will not get a fair trial, if we did release him to Pakistan because there are no laws in Pakistan. Keep bashing America, India, France, UK, Germany, etc., for all your problems, all of it will go away in 2012.

Fact Check | 13 years ago | Reply @Riaz: News Flash: George W. Bush is not the President of the United States of America. This is the problem with you, you are always years, decades and centuries behind. By the time Pakistan catches up with the 21st, there will Human Colonies in other planets and Space Voyage will be routine.

Fact Check | 13 years ago | Reply @sohaib: You should just lead protest at US Embassy, and the National Assembly and start blowing up things. In sixty years, US has given $100 of billions in aid, US could just bought the entire Pakistan with the money. Would be cheaper in the long run.

Fact Check | 13 years ago | Reply @Sikander: Simple answer: Stop taking US dole out. Stand on your own feet. You ought to understand this better than anyone else in the world. You have feudal landlords, how do they treat their labor? Exactly the same. US owns your land, you may live there as long as you do what US says. Not so hard to understand, is it?

Shuaib | 13 years ago | Reply @Watty....your help is much appreciated, but at the same time, there is a thing called "justice" and no American should be held above the law when it comes to other countries. Let the judiciary decide what to do with Davis. You did Faisal Shahzad and Aafia Siddiqui, we watched. Now we do Raymond Davis, and you watch.

Fact Check | 13 years ago | Reply How many governments does Pakistan have? Why is Punjab government involved in international affairs. Does anyone understand this?

Waiting4Revolution | 13 years ago | Reply @Watty - I assume what you are trying to say is that in the future, in some twisted world, if the US recieved aid from, lets say China, then Chinese diplomats will have the right to shoot dead Americans in Washington? For all the aid and support that America gives to Pakistan with good intentions we thank you and all other Americans. Believe me when I tell you that the majority of Americans would get along very well with the majority of Pakistanis. Unforunately I can't say the same for the American political establishment.

Waiting4Revolution | 13 years ago | Reply @Sean - no doubt that there are spies all around us, from all over the world; but they do not go about shooting and running over people they don't like the sight off. When was the last time you heard of a Pakistani or British spy shooting dead their "tail" (someone following them).

Ali | 13 years ago | Reply such incidents shows the real face of American

Watty | 13 years ago | Reply Pakistan seems to have a very short memory. It was no more than a mere 6 or 7 months ago that Pakistan desperately called out for international aid during the massive floods as tens of millions of its poor were forced out of their homes and livelihoods into the bright glare of international TV screens. It was none other than US which was among the first to extend an helping hand. It seems that being thankful is not in the national character of Pakistan. How else can we explain all this hatred being deliberately whipped up to malign the US over an unfortunate incident that is best handled quietly and diplomatically in the long term interests of both nations?

ALI | 13 years ago | Reply An article to read for my Indian friends who think of themselves a sacred cow Christians in India fear backlash at massive ‘reconversion’ event NEW DELHI – Responding to a petition by the state Catholic Bishops Conference, the High Court of Madhya Pradesh yesterday directed the state government to ensure the safety of Christians during a massive Hindu nationalist rally scheduled tomorrow through Saturday (Feb. 10-12) in Mandla. Organizers of the Maa Narmada Samajik Kumbh (Mother Narmada Social Kumbh, with “kumbh” literally meaning, “pot”) on the banks of the Narmada River hope to draw 2 million pilgrims to the event. Christian leaders said that the Kumbh is the latest in a series of anti-Christian propaganda events that Hindu nationalist organizations have held in recent years. http://au.christiantoday.com/article/christians-in-india-fear-backlash-at-massive-reconversion-event/10223.htm

Sean | 13 years ago | Reply Ray Davis has diplomatic cover. It’s not like Pakistan does not have spies here or in other countries. All have diplomatic cover. So stop the whining. Sean

MAD | 13 years ago | Reply Diplomatic Mission. I didnt know murder was part of a diplomatic mission?

Muhammad Suhail Kaini | 13 years ago | Reply **Special Offer** Welcome to Pakistan, The 'battle ground' of the 'Global Village'. You do not have to be a member of any shooting club. Free membership will be given on arrival. you are free to practice shooting any where and on any one. A worry free holiday plan at a very low cost.

Rahul Saproo | 13 years ago | Reply @ syed maudidi we dont hate the world and USA though

Sajjad Ashraf | 13 years ago | Reply Rule of law must prevail. Killers have no immunity. They should get a far trial and judgement given based on evidence.

kumar | 13 years ago | Reply This is interesting. Will pakistan be the next Iran? we'll find out soon. One thing is for sure, the U.S cannot compromise on its sovereignty. Advice to readers is to put their money in gold or land, because once pak defaults or the loans are withheld, inflation will be like old-time argentina - 5000% and your money will be worthless. Again, we will see how that goes.

umer | 13 years ago | Reply Shoot the guy and say sorry the cop was nuts is RIGHT ON. Verry funny! ha ha ha !

cessch | 13 years ago | Reply america should just invade the fata and take care of ur problems. then we cann go home and pakistan can move on. every news out of pakistan is terrible. what are my muslim brothers doing there? u guys need respect the quran and stop all the senseless killing

cessch | 13 years ago | Reply @Adeel: dear adeel, ur country is a disaster. there is no doubt in my mind that the men killed were intelligence operatives. get over it. ur country is the biggest source of bad people. as a mualaff i can not believe it is a muslim country

Riaz | 13 years ago | Reply This is the turning point for 'deciders' to decide what they want to do, a release or an exemplary punitive orders to nib all such viruses in bud. Otherwise they should be ready for........!

F Robinson | 13 years ago | Reply We give them shelter, job ,green card, citizenship and massive aid.In return they turn against us. Ungrateful Pakistan. US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen called Pakistan the ”epicenter” for global terrorism.Raymond Davis has diplomatic immunity and should be released.

Ammar | 13 years ago | Reply Well, it seems Govt. is working on alternative way to release Davis deifinitely by not provoking masses of the country. I wonder there will be mistakes from the part of officials on collection of witness material deliberately, which will indeed be the cause of Davis release. Gos Bless all of us!

sahil | 13 years ago | Reply @syed maududi: yeah buddy and some of us(not all of us) are pakistanis who need US AID money. but we all are in some kind of mess right now and we vent our anger at each other in frustration because we don't know what else to do. Peace out.

Alick | 13 years ago | Reply Poor Punjab Govt & Federal Govt. Its better that they will hand over the Govt to Khwaja Saras (Hijray) living in Pakistan. I am sure They can perform better. And all the Govt officials should wear Saris & bangles and dance infront of American Consulate Lahore

DRBS | 13 years ago | Reply Let us face the facts and gulp the truth but can we cannot afford it ? With American, I think they have got rule "either you are with us or you are not with us". US can afford....such rule.

syed maududi | 13 years ago | Reply not every one is an indian@kailash sethy:

hina nawab | 13 years ago | Reply Migth is always right .

Mohammad naeem | 13 years ago | Reply We should say good bye to us friendship and start our own journey towards soveriegnity. Let them cut aid and risk their war on terrors future. And this may be a first step to our self reliance. Enough servitude done to the MASTER :P

Haidar | 13 years ago | Reply Well This man should hanged, Love and salaam to Ori JAN MAQbool, for sharing such a new information about muslim world dictators and keep stay on your path, you are sincere and passionate person, love you

kailash sethy | 13 years ago | Reply Its like we hate USA but we need their VISA

US_pakistani | 13 years ago | Reply Recently there has been a spate of low intensity bomb explosions against the Punjab police (over the last 3-4) days. All these seem to have been IEDs. I am wondering if these are a reprisal against the LEAs by Davis' colleagues for having detained Davis?

Adnan | 13 years ago | Reply But who are these Americans, what are their names, what kind of vehicle was it, what was the license plate number, how do they know its linked to Davis???? Why is this not being revealed to the public?

Fareedi | 13 years ago | Reply I wonder what the Viceroy Thomas Munter has to say about this. Maybe just the Americans have Human Rights. They rest are all gentiles.

Shehroz | 13 years ago | Reply US is seeking trouble for dravis.... there should be justice for all.... for Sure, New generation will have high negative perspective about USA's Governance and it is going to alert high dangerous alarm for USA in future....

african sherlock holmes | 13 years ago | Reply african detective required not pak or america agents to solve case

sohaib | 13 years ago | Reply i dont care about war on terror. its their war and our fault is that we have taken part in this war for very little money and too many lives lost. i want justice and i want those people handed over. i dont care if our relations deteriorate. our country and its interest comes first. these Americans are security risk for the country. they are carrying out activities which we cant call 'friendly'. this is a comprehensive espionage network set up with the connivance of our sold out political and military leaders. if losing a 'friend' like US while ripping apart this spy network could put us on a path of independence and rid us of this servitude, so be it. We must learn to stand on our feet.US embassy and its consulates are safe havens for terrorists and their abettors. So sad that we have lost 4 lives to know this fact. This is not to forget the many hundreds we have lost in illegal drone strikes. This war cant be justified anymore.

Ismat Alavi | 13 years ago | Reply It is time to get tough with USA. We don't need friends who carry daggers with intention to stab when it suits them .

Ehsaan | 13 years ago | Reply This should be a slap on the face of Musharraf who handed over innocent Pakistanis to US

Sikander | 13 years ago | Reply Funny these Americans they can play with other countries diplomats and their office boys so called diplomats to have immunity even when they commit murder. We have stooges in Asia especially South Asia who like the US boots. Shoot the guy and say sorry that the cop was nuts.

Ali Haider | 13 years ago | Reply Tough call. Both for the US and for Pakistan. The stakes are high. While the Pakistani Govt. can not afford to provoke its people, the US can not afford to jeopardize the war on terror in which Pakistan is playing a major role.

Adeel | 13 years ago | Reply US consulate has become a safe haven for terrorists...now Pakistan should carry out drone strikes hahahaha

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