Convention doesnt endorse Davis case

ISLAMABAD - While the US Embassy declares Raymond Davis a US diplomat and claims his right to diplomatic immunity in the light of Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961, even the said convention does not endorse Raymonds case for diplomatic immunity. There is no documentary proof that suggests that ministry of foreign affairs had notified Raymonds status as a US diplomat. According to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961, any official of a diplomatic embassy, including that of head of mission, cannot be entitled to diplomatic immunity unless he/she is notified as a diplomat by the foreign ministry or relevant authority of the country he/she is appointed in. On the other hand, there are dozens of fake documents that are reportedly used by US marines, undercover agents or spies for justifying their unlawful and covert activities in Pakistan. A recent addition to these fabricated documents is a letter that mentions Pakistans Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir as its issuing authority and carries his forged signatures. Like a previous document unearthed by this newspaper on February 3 last, the document contains the fake stamps carrying the inscription Ministry of Foreign Affairs Islamabad 4. Again, the letter 4 indicates that the fourth copy of a total number of seven copies, is in The Nations possession. The US spy, embassy, consulates and State Department are all reportedly using the other six copies. Reference to application number AE-3002/2011, Raymond Andrews Davis is hereby notified as diplomat of United States of America with immediate effect, says the document that lacks any date. Irrespective of the fact that the particular document carries no legal standing, it is still unanswered as to how the key MOFA papers are misused or stolen. The impunity with which such papers are repeatedly misused suggests that the issuance of any letter to show Raymond Davis as a diplomat sounds no big deal. If the name of a secretary ranked official can be misused with such ease and that too on seven fabricated letters, the possibility that MOFA officials are involved in this scam does not stay off the sight. Pakistans Foreign Office has adopted a questionable silence over the issue. When tried to contact on Saturday, the FO spokesperson, as usual, did not answer phone calls. The US Embassy, however, repeatedly rejected the reports about misuse of MOFA documents by FO officials and US pressure on FO to notify Raymond Davis as US diplomat under Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961. Official sources confirm that the official status of Raymond Davis that was noted during his time of arrival in Pakistan, cannot be changed. Raymond last arrived in Pakistan on January 20, 2011 as technical staff member of US Consulate General Lahore. His case merits to be dealt with under Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963 that does not grant diplomatic immunity to any official of a consular mission in case he/she commits a grave crime like murder, extreme violence etc.

ePaper - Nawaiwaqt