This is great news. Either the US paid the ‘diyat’ directly or indirectly to the families of the dead, but either way blood money was paid and Raymond was released!
It reminds me of the cases currently in Afghanistan. I wonder how much a compensation payment would have to be in order to get Robert Langdon and others released? In Raymond’s case, it sounds like a total amount of $ 2.3 million was paid out to all three of the families.
Now the thing to watch in Pakistan is the public reaction. Uprisings have been going on throughout the world, and the government in Pakistan is probably bracing itself for the negative reaction from the population after this release. Hell, they were already fired up after Davis killed the two men out of self defense. I have no doubt that elements of the Taliban and AQ are right in there stirring up the masses into a lather. It doesn’t take much to get the mob all riled up in Pakistan.
That brings up another point I wanted to make. The media in Pakistan, and specifically the new media is a joke. It is so hard to tell who is politically motivated, who has an agenda, or who is really focused on just getting the truth out. Most of the times I just laugh when reading the stuff, because it’s as if the author of the story found his material in a comic book. Or worse yet, you can blatantly tell when it is some irhabist dork trying to spin the story. Matter of fact, I am sure they are just dreaming up new and fantastical ways of spinning the Davis deal as we speak.
Finally, our relations with Pakistan pisses me off. The US has dumped billions of dollars into that country in this war. Not to mention all the support and money given during their flooding crisis last year, and other disaster in past years. And what really gets me going is that AQ and the Taliban enjoy a nice little safe haven along the border, and yet we continue to depend on Pakistan’s ability to do the job of destroying them. They have not done this, and it’s as if the money we have been giving Pakistan is passed on to the Taliban and AQ to build resorts and health spas for their guys up in those hills. Pffft.
And look how much hassle it took to get Davis back? Are we not in the same fight? What really gets me is how would you like to be a soldier in the Pakistani army that lost friends in the war, and yet they see their government playing games like this? Politics… –Matt
U.S. did not pay compensation in Raymond Davis case
March 16, 2011
The U.S. government did not pay any compensation to the families of two Pakistanis killed by Raymond Davis, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday.
“The United States did not pay any compensation,” Clinton told reporters in Cairo. Asked who paid the families, she replied: “You will have to ask the families.”
Asked if the Pakistani government had paid compensation, the secretary of state said: “you will have to ask the Pakistani government.”
Story here.
——————————————————————-
US grateful to relatives of Pak men killed by Davis: Envoy
Islamabad, March 16, 2011
Quote:
……Hours after the families of the two victims pardoned Davis under a “blood money” deal allowed by Islamic laws, US Ambassador Cameron Munter said in a statement: “I am grateful for their generosity. I wish to express, once again, my regret for the incident and my sorrow at the suffering it caused.” Munter confirmed that the Department of Justice had opened an investigation into the incident in which Davis shot and killed the two men in Lahore on January 27.
The offer of such a probe was conveyed to Pakistan’s top leadership by US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry during a visit to Islamabad last month.
Referring to the release of Davis, Munter further said: “I wish to express my respect for Pakistan and its people, and my thanks for their commitment to building our relationship, to everyone’s benefit.” He reaffirmed the importance that US attaches to its relationship with Pakistan and the commitment of the American people to work with their Pakistani counterparts to “move ahead in ways that will benefit us all”.
Davis, a 36-year-old former Special Forces soldier, was arrested after he shot and killed two armed men he claimed were trying to rob him.
A third Pakistani man died when he was hit by a US consulate vehicle rushing to help Davis. Police rejected Davis’ claim of acting in self-defence and booked him for murder. He was freed by a court today after the US paid Rs 6 crore to each of the families of the three dead men.
The total ‘diyat’ or compensation amounted to USD 2.3 million. “Blood money” is paid to the next of kin of a murder victim as a fine. Pakistan-US relations plunged to a new low after Islamabad rejected repeated demands by Washington for Davis to be freed on grounds of diplomatic immunity. Pakistan’s leaders, fearful of a public backlash due to growing anti-American sentiment, insisted that the matter should be settled by the courts.
Story here.