"US official kills 2 gunmen in Pakistan" by Associated Press / January 28, 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan — A US consular employee shot and killed two gunmen as they approached his vehicle in a congested street in Pakistan yesterday, police said. A pedestrian was also killed by a speeding American car trying to help, an officer said.
The State Department confirmed that an American employee was involved in the shooting in Lahore, but could not provide details.
Could not or would not?
Police Officer Umar Saeed said the men were suspected robbers, but provided no evidence to back up the statement. He said the American, who was not identified, shot at the men in self-defense.
Western diplomats travel with armed guards in many parts of Pakistan because of the risk of militant attack. Lahore has seen frequent terrorist bombings and shootings over the last two years, though the city’s small expatriate population has not been directly targeted.
Lahore Police Chief Aslam Tareen said the American was being questioned by the police and may be charged with both murder and illegally carrying a weapon....
“Diplomatic staff usually enjoy a certain type of immunity, but I am not sure about murder,’’Tareen said....
Police Officer Atif Meraj later said that a murder case was officially registered against the American, and another case was registered against two other Americans for killing the pedestrian....
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"Pakistan charges US official; Consulate attache says killing of two was self-defense" by Waqar Gillani and Jane Perlez, New York Times / January 29, 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan — A US official appeared in court yesterday on murder charges in the shooting deaths of two Pakistanis who the official said tried to rob him.
The shooting, which occurred in Lahore on Thursday in midafternoon traffic, could inflame strong anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, a possibility that the Pakistani government acknowledged while saying it would apply the rule of law.
The provincial law minister in Punjab, Rana Sanaullah, told a news conference that any favoritism toward the official, Raymond A. Davis, 36, would be regarded with suspicion by the Pakistani public....
Please remember that the information is out there for later on in this post, dear readers.
Davis, who was attached to the American consulate in Lahore, was shown on Pakistani television, dressed in a checkered shirt and jeans, being escorted by a phalanx of officers to a court in central Lahore. Sanaullah said Davis spoke Urdu, the dominant language in Pakistan, which relatively few US officials speak....
Pakistani police escorted Raymond Davis to a court in Lahore yesterday. He was arrested on murder charges after the shooting of two motorcyclists he said tried to rob him. (Arif Ali/ AFP/ Getty Images)
He LOOKS LIKE a CIA or MERCENARY.
The American embassy in Islamabad acknowledged that Davis was employed by the consulate but did not describe his position. Pakistani police officials described him in various statements as a “security official’’ or a “technical adviser.’’
Well, the VAGUE ASSERTIONS basically CONFIRM the SUSPICIONS!
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Lahore residents said roadside robberies by armed men on motorcycles seeking mobile phones and other valuables from drivers, particularly those alone, are relatively common. In most cases, they said, the drivers are not armed and hand over whatever the assailants demand.
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And all I can say is WHAT GALL by the U.S. GOVERNMENT!
"US demands release of official being held in killings in Pakistan" by Chris Brummitt, Associated Press / January 30, 2011
ISLAMABAD — The United States demanded the immediate release of an American official arrested in the shooting deaths of two Pakistanis, upping the stakes yesterday in a dispute that has revealed the fragility of a relationship Washington believes is crucial for success in Afghanistan and against Al Qaeda.
How many guys we going to hold onto forever in Gitmo?
The US Embassy said the man had a diplomatic passport and was immune from prosecution.
Related: A Diplomatic CIA
So STATE DEPT = CIA, huh?
It accused the Pakistani police of illegally detaining him. The mission said the man, whom the United States has not named, acted in self-defense against two armed men who approached his car in the city of Lahore on Thursday, intent on robbing him.
Rana Sanaullah, the law minister in Punjab Province where the killings took place, said the American’s fate would be decided in the courts. He said the provincial government could not free him even if directed to by the central government.
“It is for the court to decide whether someone having a diplomatic passport is allowed to kill someone,’’ he said. “If the American government wants to get him released, it will have to plead before the court.’’
Allowing the American to return home without facing trial could spark a potentially destabilizing backlash against the government, which is already weak and accused by critics of being subservient to the United States. The killings in Lahore have been seized on by many in Pakistan as fresh evidence of America’s malign intent in the region.
Many here don’t trust the government in its dealings with Washington, a legacy of its stance on US drone strikes in the northwest against militants.
I can't remember the last time I read about a missile strike.
The attacks are unpopular among many Pakistanis and Islamabad publicly protests them.
Wouldn't they be with you, Americans -- no matter who was dumping them on you and for whatever reasons (never mind the lies used to justify the slaughter)?
But the country’s leaders are widely believed to agree to the attacks, and even provide intelligence on some of them.
That's why it is a hated government.
“This is a test case for our rulers,’’ said Maulana Fazlur Rehman, head of an Islamist party that recently pulled out of the ruling coalition. “A foreigner, an American cannot be allowed to shed blood this way. The matter is in the court. The facts will be revealed there.’’
The man was taken into custody soon after the shooting and appeared in court Friday for an initial hearing. US officials were granted access to him late the same day, soon after prosecutors said they would pursue possible murder charges.
The embassy statement made it clear Washington did not want to see him brought before a Pakistani judge again.
“The United States Embassy in Pakistan calls for the immediate release’’ of the diplomat, it said.
The statement did not answer all the questions that have swirled around the incident, including what the American did at the mission and why he was carrying a gun. The lack of clarity has fueled media speculation he may have been a CIA agent or a security contractor, as well as questions over whether he qualified for diplomatic immunity.
US Embassy spokeswoman Courtney Beale said only that the detained man was “a member of the administrative and technical staff.’’ Separately, a senior US official said the man was authorized by the United States to carry a weapon, but that it was a “gray area’’ whether Pakistani law permitted him to do so.
A third man died when he was allegedly hit by an American car that rushed to the scene to help the US official. The statement did not refer to that incident. Pakistani police have said they want to question the driver of that vehicle as well.
Washington has made strengthening ties with Pakistan a priority and is committed to giving it $7.5 billion dollars in civilian aid. It wants to secure the country’s help in stabilizing Afghanistan by attacking militant sanctuaries on its side of the border.
Western diplomats travel with armed guards in parts of Pakistan because of the risk of militant attack. Lahore has seen frequent terrorist bombings and shootings in the past two years.
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"Pakistanis rally against release of American in fatal shootings; Islamic leaders demand man be tried there US officials cite immunity" by Babar Dogar, Associated Press / February 1, 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan — Hard-line Islamic leaders on Sunday rallied at least 15,000 people against an American official arrested in the shooting deaths of two Pakistanis and warned the government not to cave in to US pressure to release the man.
The protest in Lahore, where the shootings took place, came as the US embassy once again insisted that the American has diplomatic immunity and was being detained illegally by Pakistan. But Pakistan has refused to budge....
The spat has revealed the fragility of a relationship Washington believes is crucial for success in Afghanistan and against Al Qaeda. Large protests by hard-line Islamic groups, which have significant influence in Pakistan, could make it even more difficult for the government to free the American.
The United States has said the American, who has not been named, acted in self-defense....
Actually, HE HAS!!
WTF, readers?
But many questions have been left unanswered, including exactly what the American did at the embassy and why he was carrying a gun.
Including mine.
The lack of clarity has fueled media speculation he may have been a CIA agent or security contractor, as well as questions over whether he qualified for diplomatic immunity.
What was cut from my printed paper:
In a separate development yesterday, a pair of bombings targeting police in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed five people, including a senior police officer, officials said.
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Every time you take a minute to pray in Pakistan.... sigh.
Related: Concern grows over expansion of Pakistan’s nuclear arms (By David E. Sanger and Eric Schmitt, New York Times)
Never made my paper, and I no longer read NYT propaganda updates.
"Pakistani court won’t free American charged in shootings; Judge orders consular worker to no-exit list" by Babar Dogar, Associated Press / February 2, 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan — A Pakistani court ordered the government yesterday not to release an American official arrested in the shooting deaths of two Pakistanis despite US insistence that he has diplomatic immunity and has been detained illegally.
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Ijaz Chaudhry also told the government to place the American on the “exit control list’’ so that he cannot leave the country. Some legal specialists questioned whether the court had the authority to issue such orders, but the rulings could further complicate what has become a serious diplomatic spat.
The US Embassy in Islamabad has argued that the American, whom it has not named, acted in self-defense when he shot the two men in Lahore last Thursday because they were trying to rob him at gunpoint. It has issued several statements insisting he has diplomatic immunity and demanding he be released.
WTF, readers?
They DID IT AGAIN! We KNOW WHO HE IS!!!
A copy of the American’s passport obtained by the Associated Press identifies him as 36-year-old Raymond Allen Davis.
WTF?
Pakistani officials have avoided taking responsibility for deciding whether Davis should be released, probably because of possible backlash in a country where anti-American sentiment is rife despite billions of dollars in US aid....
Oh, yes, we are sooooo generous to the Pakistanis!
Many Pakistanis already regard the United States with suspicion or enmity because of its occupation of neighboring Afghanistan and regular missile attacks against militant targets in Pakistan’s northwest.
They must be silent as hell 'cause I haven't read about any lately.
Islamist and rightwing opponents of Washington and the US-allied government here have said the recent shooting was a further example of American brutality.
I can't argue with them on that one.
The United States has said Davis was a member of the embassy’s technical and administrative staff, but has not clearly identified his job or explained why he was carrying a gun. The lack of clarity has fueled media speculation that he may be a CIA agent or security contractor and raised questions about whether he qualified for diplomatic immunity.
Washington has made strengthening ties with Pakistan a top priority and is committed to giving it $7.5 billion dollars in aid....
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"A car bombing kills nine, leaves 20 hurt in Pakistan; Attacks challenge claims of progress against militants" by Riaz Khan, Associated Press / February 3, 2011
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A car bomb killed nine people close to the main northwestern city of Peshawar yesterday, the latest in a rash of attacks that are challenging police claims of progress against Islamist militants in the region....
Also in the northwest yesterday, a group of militants attacked a security post in the Anarggi area of Mohmand tribal region, killing three paramilitary soldiers and wounding four. The troops returned fire and killed 16 insurgents, said Javed Khan, a government administrator.
Later in the day, a roadside bomb hit a paramilitary vehicle in the Davezai area of Mohmand, killing one soldier and wounding three others, Khan said. And an artillery shell fired by the military hit a house in the area, killing two women, he said.
In the nearby Orakzai tribal region, fighter jets pounded suspected militant hideouts, killing 15 alleged militants and wounding 10 others, local government administrator Aurangzeb Khan said....
Elsewhere in the tribal area yesterday, several mortars fired from Afghanistan landed near an army checkpoint in the Ghulam Khan area of North Waziristan, killing one Pakistani soldier and wounding three others, said Pakistani intelligence officials.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The attack sparked an intense gun battle, they said.
Other Pakistani intelligence officials said the attack came from an Afghan security post across the border. They spoke on condition of anonymity for the same reasons.
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"American ordered held eight more days; Pakistanis stage protest against shooting suspect" by Babar Dogar, Associated Press / February 4, 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan — A court yesterday ordered that the detention of an American official suspected in the shooting deaths of two Pakistanis be extended by at least eight days, in defiance of US demands the man be released immediately.
The United States says the American, identified by Pakistanis as Raymond Allen Davis, has diplomatic immunity and is being illegally detained. He has told a Pakistani court that he acted in self-defense last week when he shot two men who were intent on robbing him at gunpoint as he drove his car in Lahore. Police say they are pursuing possible murder charges.
Also see: An American in Pakistan
The shootings have stoked anti-American sentiment in Pakistan just as Washington is trying to seek more cooperation with Islamabad in the campaign against Islamic militants. The United States is already widely unpopular in Pakistan, in part because of its undeclared campaign of drone missile strikes in the northwest border region near Afghanistan.
The deaths have also added to pressure on Pakistan’s weak government here, which will face charges of being an American lackey if it hands over Davis to the United States. Refusing to do so risks severing a relationship with a vital ally and donor.
In Lahore yesterday, hundreds of protesters, including relatives of the dead Pakistanis, rallied outside the barricaded US consulate, shouting, “Hang the American killer!’’
Pakistani officials have avoided definitive statements on Davis’s level of diplomatic clearance....
In a statement, the US Embassy complained that it had not been notified of the court hearing, and that Davis had no lawyer or translator with him. It reiterated that his “continuing detention is a gross violation of international law.’’
As if the US had any credibility to criticize.
Also yesterday in Lahore, a bombing at a Muslim shrine killed two people, officials said. Police officer Shahzad Asif described the bomb as small and said police were examining the scene.
Islamic extremists who view the practice of worshiping at shrines as a deviation from Islam bombed several such places last year in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, gunmen in southwest Pakistan shot dead the driver of a truck believed to be carrying supplies for NATO troops across the border in Afghanistan. The driver’s assistant was also wounded in the attack near the border town of Chaman, security official Abdul Sattar said.
Another rarely mentioned aspect of the war.
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"Suicide may rile US foes in Pakistan" by Associated Press / February 7, 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan — The wife of a Pakistani man shot and killed by a US official committed suicide yesterday, explaining before she died that she was driven to act by fears the American would be freed without trial, a doctor said.
The United States has demanded Pakistani authorities release the American, saying he shot and killed two armed men in self-defense when they attempted to rob him as he drove his car in the eastern city of Lahore. He was arrested on Jan. 27, and the United States has said he has diplomatic immunity and is being illegally detained.
The shootings have stoked anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, feelings that could be further inflamed by Shumaila Kanwal’s suicide. She died several hours after being rushed to a hospital after ingesting rat poison, said Ali Naqi, the doctor in Faisalabad city who treated her.
“I do not expect any justice from this government,’’ Kanwal said in a statement recorded by the doctor before she died. “That is why I want to kill myself.’’
Also see: Pressure Kills Another Pakistani Victim Of US Agent Raymond Davis
The case puts Pakistan’s government in a difficult position. The government relies on the United States for billions of dollars in aid but is wary of being seen as doing Washington’s bidding. The United States is widely unpopular in Pakistan, in part because of its undeclared campaign of drone missile strikes along the northwest border with Afghanistan.
The government could face charges of being a US lackey if it hands Raymond Davis over to the United States. But refusing to do so risks harming a relationship with a vital ally.
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Related: ‘Raymond Davis’ Is Linked To Terrorism In Pakistan
Evidence Out: Raymond Allen Davis Is A Fake US Diplomat
"$4b in aid to Pakistan called ineffective; Report asserts agencies fail on accountability" by Sebastian Abbott, Associated Press / February 9, 2011
ISLAMABAD — The United States has failed to show progress from billions of dollars in aid given to Pakistan over the past few years to help the country with basic needs like electricity, health care, and education, said an inspector general’s report.
That's because our lackeys stole it all.
The finding comes as some in the United States have questioned the wisdom of lavishing Pakistan with military and civilian aid given the government’s reluctance to target Islamist militants based on its territory who regularly attack American troops in Afghanistan.
See: America's Aid To Pakistan Is Not 'Massive' Nor 'Lavish'
And it is nowhere near what Israel receives.
The United States has committed nearly $4 billion to projects in Pakistan since 2009 to help the country address critical infrastructure needs, provide basic services, and improve government performance, said the report released Monday....
As if the AmeriKan government knew anything about that.
Failure to show progress could cause problems within Pakistan, where anti-American sentiment is high and many suspect US aid of lining the pockets of corrupt politicians rather than helping the poor.
Yeah, see, the PAKISTANIS KNOW!!
Many of Pakistan’s 180 million residents lack access to clean water and effective health care and education.
The country also has chronic power shortages that can last up to 18 hours a day.
Also see: Pakistan Power Outage
Up to 18 hours from 16, 'eh?
I can not thank my Pakistani readers enough for using their valuable power to read my blog.
It is an honor that they would spend their precious power on me!!
One of the reasons the United States has struggled is that the embassy in Islamabad has had difficulty staffing the positions it needs to monitor and run its programs, the report said....
But they HAVE PLENTY of KILLER GUARDS!
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Related:
"Pakistan’s economy relies heavily on International Monetary Fund loans, and the government has struggled to raise revenues, in part because many residents avoid paying taxes. Chronic power shortages have hampered economic growth, and floods last year caused massive damage to infrastructure."
Those floods have been darn near FORGOTTEN by the AmeriKan MEDIA!
"Bomber kills 31 Pakistani troops at training camp; Taliban claim soldier carried out the attack" by Riaz Khan, Associated Press / February 11, 2011
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A suicide bomber linked to the Pakistani Taliban attacked soldiers at an army training camp in the northwest yesterday, killing 31 of them and wounding 42 others.
There were conflicting accounts about the identity of the bomber. The army and police said he was a teenager in a school uniform, but the Pakistani Taliban claimed he was a soldier at the camp in Mardan town who volunteered for the attack.
The bombing during morning exercises showed that despite years of army operations against their hideouts along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked fighters retain the ability to strike back....
Yeah, "Al-CIA-Duh" never goes away!
Former army soldiers have been suspected in attacks in Pakistan, but a suicide bombing by an active duty soldier would be rare, if not unheard of....
In North Waziristan yesterday, the bullet-riddled bodies of two tribal police officials and a villager were found along a road near the town of Mir Ali, a militant stronghold. A note attached to the bodies accused them of acting as spies for the United States, resident Asif Iqbal said.
The place is crawling with them.
Intelligence officials said the three men had been kidnapped in January. Their bodies showed signs of torture, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.
Related: Pakistan's Death Squads
Militants have killed numerous North Waziristan residents after accusing them of spying.
The killings are often linked to allegations that local residents are providing intelligence on militants that helps the United States launch missile strikes in the area.
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"US official’s jail time extended; Charges being prepared over Pakistan deaths" by Waqar Gillani and Jane Perlez, New York Times / February 12, 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan — A Pakistani court yesterday ordered a US official, arrested in the killing of two Pakistanis, to be held for another two weeks while authorities prepared charges in what the police called a “coldblooded’’ murder.
The official, Raymond A. Davis, 36, whose arrest has a cast a deep chill over relations between the United States and Pakistan, said he acted in self-defense when he shot the men in an attempted daylight robbery Jan. 27.
Also see: The Deepening Mystery of Raymond Davis and Two Slain Pakistani Motorcyclists
After a 30-minute closed-door court hearing, the Lahore city police chief, Aslam Tareen, said that Davis had committed coldblooded murder, a statement that appeared likely to further inflame the highly contentious case....
A lawyer for Davis, Hassam Qadir, asked Judge Aneeq Anwar Chaudry of the Municipal Court to adhere to the principles of diplomatic immunity and release Davis. The State Department has repeatedly said that he is protected by diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention and must be released immediately....
That's his CIA cover.
Although senior Pakistani officials agree in private that Davis, who carries a diplomatic passport, is protected by the Vienna Convention, they appear unable or unwilling to enforce the protocol, according to senior American officials.
The civilian government of President Asif Ali Zardari is being assailed daily in news media about the case, and the cause of the two dead men has been taken up by right-wing religious parties.
The Pakistani military and security apparatus appear to be willing to allow the Davis case to dominate the relationship with Washington for the moment, American and Pakistani officials said.
That way, according to the officials, Pakistan can wring concessions on the breadth of the presence of American security officials and contractors in Pakistan, an issue that is at the center of deepening antagonism among the Pakistani public toward the United States.
Yeah, somehow this all a Pakistani shakedown. They must have made the guy shoot them.
US officials say that two armed men threatened Davis when he was driving alone on a busy Lahore road and that he fired in self-defense.
US officials are liars.
The statement last night said Davis was assigned as an “administrative and technical’’ member of the staff at the American Embassy in Islamabad.
His exact duties have not been explained, and the reason he was driving alone with a Glock handgun, a pocket telescope, and GPS equipment has fueled speculation in the Pakistani news media.
The same kind of Glock that wounded Giffords?
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the director of the CIA, Leon E. Panetta, have warned the Pakistani government in telephone calls to Zardari and Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, the head of Pakistan’s main spy agency, that the continued detention of Davis threatened strategic relationship between the two countries.
As the US government argued for Davis’s release, photographs and video from his camera and his cellphone were shown on two Pakistani television channels in what appeared to be deliberate leaks by Pakistani security forces....
Ain't that just the Wikileaks pot hollering kettle!
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Hey, maybe the Pakistanis are trying to get even for the framing of Aafia Siddiqui.
Need a distraction?
"Court issues arrest warrant for former Pakistani leader; Musharraf faces accusation of ties to Bhutto’s death" by Asif Shahzad, Associated Press / February 13, 2011
ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani court issued an arrest warrant for ousted military leader Pervez Musharraf yesterday over allegations that he played a role in the 2007 assassination of an ex-prime minister and rival. It was a major setback for the onetime US ally, who was plotting a political comeback from outside the country....
The stunning allegation that Musharraf — a self-declared opponent of Islamic militancy — was linked to extremists accused in the attack was likely to keep him out of Pakistan, at least in the short term....
Musharraf’s spokesman said the former leader was in Dubai....
Then SOMEONE GO and GET HIM!!
Ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed Dec. 27, 2007, in a gun and suicide bomb attack after returning to Pakistan to campaign in elections Musharraf reluctantly allowed. Musharraf blamed the Pakistani Taliban for the attack, but government prosecutors now say he was part of the plot.
Related: Pakistan's JFK
“A joint investigation team, in its report to the court, has found Musharraf guilty of being involved in the conspiracy’’ to kill Bhutto, said Zulfikar Ali Chaudhry, the lead prosecutor.
He said evidence that Musharraf was “completely involved’’ has come from the Pakistani Taliban....
Those liars?
Musharraf’s lawyer said his client is innocent but has no plans to contest the allegations in court, where he has been ordered to appear Saturday.
“This is just a drama. It is all politics,’’ Mohammad Ali Saif said.
Musharraf has not been indicted. The court is conducting preliminary hearings about the accusations, and prosecutors say Musharraf will have an opportunity to defend himself.
A UN investigation into the assassination said Musharraf’s government didn’t do enough to ensure Bhutto’s security and that a sloppy investigation may have erased or missed evidence. The UN was not tasked with finding out who was behind the killing.
CUI BONO?
Also see: Throwing More Dirt on Bhutto's Grave
After her death, Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party rode a wave of public sympathy to garner the most seats in 2008 elections. It then forced Musharraf to step down by threatening impeachment.
Kind of backfired on him, huh?
He left for London and has spent a good deal of time on the lecture circuit, including in the United States.
Maybe not.
Washington backed Musharraf for much of his military rule because he was, at least officially, a close ally in its fight against militants, including those who used Pakistan’s soil as a hideout to prepare attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.
Yeah, ONCE AGAIN AmeriKa BACKED A DICTATOR against the wishes of his own people!
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