Taliban warns Pakistan against releasing U.S. prisoner

Just look at the picture below with the frenzied masses, protesting against the release of an American accused of murder. Also, notice that all protesters are men.

Now you tell me, if the accused American was to be tried in a Pakistani court, what chance do you think he would have of receiving a fair trial? TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Reuters

By Zeeshan Haider and Rebecca Conway Zeeshan Haider And Rebecca Conway

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan’s al Qaeda-linked Taliban warned the government on Tuesday it would punish any move to release a U.S. consulate employee accused of murdering two Pakistanis in a case that has further strained ties with Washington.

U.S. Senator John Kerry was due in Pakistan as part of the Obama administration’s efforts to resolve the crisis.

Raymond Davis, the U.S. consular employee jailed in the Pakistani city of Lahore for shooting two Pakistanis last month, says he acted in self-defense during an armed robbery.

Washington says Davis has diplomatic immunity and should be released but the Pakistani government, fearful of a backlash from Pakistanis already wary of the United States and enraged by the shooting, says the matter should be decided in court.

“If (Pakistani) rulers hand him over to America then we will target these rulers. If Pakistani courts cannot punish Davis then they should hand him over to us,” said Pakistani Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq.

“We will give exemplary punishment to the killer Davis.”

On Thursday, the United States is expected to present a petition to a Lahore court to certify that Davis has diplomatic immunity and should be released.

The warning from the Taliban, which has kept up suicide bombings to destabilize the government despite army offensives, underscores the charged atmosphere surrounding the case.

Pakistan, one of the largest non-NATO recipients of American military aid, is loathe to risk losing U.S. support by keeping Davis in jail but also fears antagonizing Islamist groups who see the government as a U.S. puppet.

The issue has become a lightning rod for anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, which the United States counts as an important, if unreliable, ally in its war against militancy.

Davis’ fate is certain to come up when Kerry, the influential chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and member of President Barack Obama’s Democratic party, meets Pakistani officials.

GOVERNMENT FACES PRESSURE

A police report obtained by Reuters said that Davis’ assertions that he acted in self-defense were “apparently not correct.”

“The deceased Faizan Haider and Faheem Shamshad each received three bullets in the back of their bodies, which has also been corroborated by the post mortem report,” it said.

“According to eyewitnesses, the accused fired at Faizan Haider in the back when he got off from his motorcycle and was trying to run away.”

It added: “None of the witnesses saw the deceased pointing their guns or firing.”

Davis’ lawyer was not immediately available for comment.

Jamaat-e-Islami, a religious and political party capable of organizing large protests, accused Washington of riding roughshod over Pakistan.

“Why is America hell bent on trampling on Pakistani law and its judicial system? We will forcefully protest if he is released without a court order,” Jamaat-e-Islami deputy chief Liaquat Baluch told Reuters.

Religious parties do not win many votes in elections. But the government can’t afford to ignore the influential groups.

“If he is released, we will register our protest but in a peaceful way. We will hold rallies … Not only us, the whole of Pakistan will protest against any such move,” said Yahya Mujhaid, a spokesman for Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which was blacklisted by the U.N. over its links to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group blamed for the 2008 attack on Mumbai. It denies it has ties to the LeT.

(Additional reporting by Faisal Aziz in Karachi and MubashirBokhari in Lahore, Saud Mehsud Dera Ismail Khan and Augustine Anthony in Islamabad; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Missy Ryan and Alex Richardson)

About The Great One

Am interested in science and philosophy as well as sports; cycling and tennis. Enjoy reading, writing, playing chess, collecting Spyderco knives and fountain pens.
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One Response to Taliban warns Pakistan against releasing U.S. prisoner

  1. Anonymous says:

    Obama has proposed $3.2 billions for Pakistan in his latest budget ………. the Americans are playing a dangerous game in the region where Pakistan is only a pawn …….!!!!

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