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In my last update on the Raymond Davis case, I suggested that it appeared that Davis would possibly be convicted for the killing of two Pakistanis on January 27 in Lahore before his March 14 hearing scheduled on the issue of diplomatic immunity. Tuesday, however, proceedings in the murder case were adjourned until March 16, two days after the immunity hearing. Other related developments include the granting of bail for Aaron DeHaven and discussions in multiple venues (see Scott Horton’s discussion in the video and this NPR story) of the increasing tensions between the CIA and Pakistan’s ISI that this case has exposed.
Dawn reports on the delay in the murder trial:
A sessions court adjourned on Tuesday the hearing of the Raymond Davis double-murder case till March 16 after the counsel for the accused pointed out that the prosecution didn`t provide them recovery memos pertaining to the case.
“Though we had provided complete challan papers to the counsel for the accused on the last hearing, on Tuesday they sought recovery memos, the documents relating to the items recovered from the accused,” the Punjab additional prosecutor general (APG) told this reporter.
He said accordingly, the prosecution provided the required documents to the counsel soon after the court ordered them to do so. He said the prosecution team had also requested the court to charge the accused in the case but the judge adjourned the hearing till March 16.
Via AFP, Dawn also has details on Aaron DeHaven, who was detained in Peshawar for over-staying his visa:
A Pakistani court granted bail on Monday to a US citizen said to have been working for a private security company and detained after he outstayed his Pakistani visa, court officials said.
/snip/
“The US national has been ordered to submit a surety bond of two million rupees (about $23,500). His release orders will be issued soon after furnishing the surety bonds,” a court official said.
De Haven has been ordered not to leave the area without informing police until his case is concluded, the official added.
Meanwhile, the prospects of arranging payment of blood money still seem dim. The widow of one of Davis’ victims spoke out today, accusing the Punjab government of not working hard enough on the case:
Zahra Faizan, the widow of one of the victims of the Lahore shooting case, stated that the Punjab government is not working sincerely in the Raymond Davis case. However, she expressed satisfaction over judiciary’s role in the case.
/snip/
Talking to media after the meeting, she said that she was not satisfied with the case as yet.
She demanded that the Punjab government should bring the culprits to justice and also thanked the PML-Q leaders for their support.
Hmm, speaking of blood money, why do you suppose David Ignatius suddenly inserted himself (h/t bmaz) last week into the public discussions of “blood money” in this case?
In addition to Scott Horton’s explanation of CIA-ISI tensions in the video above, consider these tidbits from an NPR story from Tuesday:
Mr. ROBERT GRENIER (Former CIA Station Chief in Pakistan): I think the ISI is feeling embarrassed because this sort underscores that the ISI, you know, doesn’t have control over what foreign intelligence is doing in its country, or at least it appears that way, and I think that they’re very sensitive to that.
Rachel Martin then continues with Dr. Christine Fair, of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University:
MARTIN: Fair says she could see ISI officials asking for more control over which U.S. government employees are issued visas to Pakistan and a bigger say in the size of the U.S. footprint in the country. Much of that footprint is devoted to tracking down militant groups operating inside Pakistan. There are three big ones: Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Haqqani Network and the Afghan Taliban.
Christine Fair says the CIA and the ISI have totally different views on these groups. The CIA sees them as existential threats to America.
Ms. CHRISTINE FAIR: In contrast, the ISI sees these groups as existential assets, and so this is where our two countries are at absolute loggerheads. Theres really no way of finessing this fundamental difference.
Wow. When the CIA is working to destroy groups that it sees as existential threats, while the intelligence service of the home country in which those groups operate, the ISI, sees these same groups as existential assets, it is very hard for me to see how the two intelligence services could ever be expected to work together or find areas in which they are comfortable sharing information with one another. While the Davis case has perhaps brought full attention to this fundamental difference between the CIA and ISI, those differences will persist long after the Davis case is resolved.
14 Comments
The US should wave diplomatic immunity when a state department employee kills another human in a foreign country (especially with an illegally carried gun). Here, Davis is no diplomat, he is a private individual working for the US’ spy agency.
The US has failed to also say national security would be put at risk if a trial were to take place. If they fail to make this claim now, it should not be allowed when Faizan, the widow of one of the victims, sues in US civil courts for damages.
American Exceptionalism (AE) is at work, ‘cuz we’re special don’t you know. It’s Pakistan’s duty to accept that US security concerns must also be Pakistan’s, and if they don’t then Pakistan is wrong. Not only wrong, but utterly irresponsible.
The largest issue is the current US siding with India as a part of the US South-Central Asia strategy to advance U.S. economic interests and counter China & Russia in that area. (Good luck on that.) This U.S. favoritism toward India gives India entry into Afghanistan, which frightens Pakistan which has enough trouble with the more powerful India on its eastern front w/o wanting to be concerned about its western frontier too.
This larger national security concern translates into the differences noted above regarding the different US & Pakistan views on dissident groups, and other matters. The ISI sees the Afghan Taliban, which it created, an ally in that country against India, for example. So we have a U.S. “partner” — Pakistan — supporting the killing of Americans in Afghanistan. In this respect AE is unhealthy for US soldiers, sailors and Marines — but who cares about that.
I’ve read that the Pakistan government is now trying to identify all foreign operatives from the US. They have identified some and are still searching. It is my understanding that the nation that is being inudated with CIA types is supposed to be made aware of the operations.
But, Hell! Even our own congressional oversight committees have no idea what is going on or which outside non-military/CIA contractors have been hired to do so. This contract business is getting uglier by the day and they do not operate under the same laws or regulations that US agencies are guided from.
I’m beginning to wonder if the CIA is operating from commands of other entities than that of just the CnC.
I know this sounds nuts, but I would really like to see an in-depth investigation as to whether ISI was involved with 9/11. There seem to have been some links, but I don’t know if they are someone’s imagination or real.
It doesn’t sound nuts to me at all. In fact, the perps were all Saudi and Bhutto was assasinated not long after saying that Bin Laden had been killed off by another warring tribe. Which I’m not sure she meant as in dead, or just removed from leadership.
She knew way too much that could have spilled out, which is why I believe the Pakistani ruler that we lead by the nose issued the offing of her.
This existential threat business is so much crap it makes you want to vomit. The Soviet Union was the only existential threat apart from the Republican Party that the United States has had to confront since World War II. The security state has become a vast mostly privatized industries. Billions to earn as long as a ‘threat’ can be asserted. There is no logic in this except the logic of money.
Saudi, Egyptian, and Yemeni I believe….hmmm Seems to be a common denominator…revolution.
David Dayen has a fresh cross-post already in progress: Sheriff Lee Baca, Only Law Enforcement Witness at King’s Muslim Radicalization Hearings, Speaks Out
Your point is well taken, except the USSR threat is questionable based on information that has come to light regarding its military capabilities, which depended a large part upon unreliable satellites.
The history of CIA from the beginning seems to indicate that orders from the commander-in-chief are only occasionally the impetus for CIA actions. They are, and always have been, answerable only to themselves and their paymasters, who most definitely are not the American people as a whole.
David Ray Griffin’s The New Pearl Harbor and Michael Ruppert’s Crossing the Rubicon both indicate that the head of ISI was present in Washington, DC attending a meeting with CIA people on the morning of 9/11. The same man sent a payment of $100,000 to Mohammed Atta prior to 9/11 (http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO206A.html)
There have been attempts to disprove that claim but they aren’t convinving: http://www.911myths.com/html/pakistan_s_isi_link_to_9_11_fu.html
When Daniel Pearl was killed in Pakistan, he was trying to track down proof of connections between KSM, ISI, and the 9/11 masterminds.
I got this the other day via my twitter account through the account name FreePresss. I don’t know whether it’s factual or not so take it for what it is.
http://tinypaste.com/a00a5f
Reply to donbacon:
While I agree with most of your analysis, I don’t think you are correct in this part:
“This U.S. favoritism toward India gives India entry into Afghanistan”
Mainly Hindu India does NOT want to kick that hornet’s nest. That the Pak’s paranoia may include this possibility isn’t deniable, though.
According to tribune.com.pk, Consulate in Lahore is making efforts to transfer RD from jail to Governor House. Saudis are ready to throw money at Pakistani politician in return for his release. Of course a few thousand for victims families.