The Raymond Arrogance

Agents of ISI or adventurous citizens, they dared to photograph Raymond Davis.

Who was this Raymond Davis? He was a foreigner, traveling with weapons showing on his person in broad daylight on the busy roads of Lahore, Pakistan. These times are dangerous for Pakistan, with terrorism on the loose and the media encouraging citizen journalism. Hence, it is very much possible that Fahim and Faizan were ordinary citizens who felt responsible to guard their state in whatever capacity they could and photographed this suspicious looking foreigner on their mobiles.

Whoever Fahim and Faizan were, photographing a foreigner carrying weapons on their land cost them three to seventeen bullets between them and their lives.

As Raymond Davis got caught by the media and some brave police officers of Lahore, America and some America-loyal Pakistani politicians cried diplomatic immunity’. One can understand the concept of this thing called diplomatic immunity on trivial matters of administrative law, but could it possibly mean a license to kill? On foreign land?

The next person to go down (or go up in public eye) was Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Foreign Minister of Pakistan, who declared that Raymond Davis did not have the kind of blanket diplomatic immunity which his protectors were claiming for him. You will not be surprised to know that soon after this declaration, Shah Mahmood Qureshi lost his office.

Meanwhile, the newly-wedded bride of Fahim committed suicide as she bereaved on efforts towards Raymond’s release. She died stating that they wanted Qisas; blood for blood and nothing less.

As the diplomatic immunity card did not play well, not with the law experts, neither with the media and nor with the public, one mysterious afternoon, the public of Pakistan got to know that Raymond Davis had been released as the families of the deceased had suddenly accepted Deeat, blood money, as compensation for the death of their sons. Deeat is one of the three options of settlement by Islam, between the murderer and the deceased’s family, if the situation is suitable for this option.

While the media was still raging with this hard-to-digest breaking news, Ms. Hilary Clinton’s statement came that America had paid no money to the deceased’s family. This piece of news somehow seemed irrelevant. Just about when many of us were dismissing this piece of news from our minds, another piece of news floated on the media that Saudi Arabia had paid the Deeat instead, confirming that Deeat had indeed been paid, but not by America. This news rocked the Pakistani public once again. The stench of arrogance of not bending to any level of compensation to a third-world country was sickening.

Why was it sickening? We should have gotten used to it by now. When we are ready to lick boots, we should be ready for the arrogance of its master. An American police officer once said to a Pakistani, ‘Your people may not like to go to Jannah but they will certainly like to come to America’. For many Pakistanis, this used to be true. As Emal Kansi was handed over to America for doing exactly what Raymond Davis has done today, and money taken as well for his hand-over, he left a statement, ‘This nation will sell their mother for ten dollars’. And as America was seeking to invade Iraq back in 2003, and as the world and United Nations was pressurizing it not to do so, President Bush smirked in one of his presidential speeches and said, ‘…however, we are a nation who do not need anyone’s permission to do what we believe we must do’. And his comrades standing in the side view nodded and smiled and clapped in response.

Ah, but as they themselves say, ‘Pride comes to a fall’. And similar to it is said in the Urdu literature, ‘Har urooj ko zawal hae…’, meaning that nothing is here to stay supreme forever. No person, country or ideology…or is there someone who shall? The Holy Qur~an replies to this curiosity very well,

“All that exists on the earth will perish, but the Face of your Rabb will remain, full of Majesty and Glory.” [Surah Ar-Rahman, Verses 26, 27]

So,
“Wait if you will! Surely, we too shall wait." [The Holy Quran, Surah Hud, Verse 122]