(Image source: The Current Affairs)
 

BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN

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A diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and Pakistan. Details remain murky in the case of Raymond Davis -- detained in Pakistan for the murder of two Pakistani men. The U.S. says - it was self-defense. Pakistanis call it - “cold-blooded murder.”

“According to the police report one of the victims was shot in the back, and each victim was shot five times. Each victim was shot five times. A U.S. official disputes that and says the report indicates, it was an ‘attempted robbery.’” (Video from CNN)

The dispute centers on whether Davis has diplomatic immunity. U.S. officials originally said Davis was a “technical advisor” and thus protected from foreign prosecution under international law.

Now - MSNBC reports - the proverbial plot thickens.

“U.S. officials who up until now described him as a diplomat admit Davis is a security contractor for the CIA who was part of a secret team working in Lahore.”

Tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan are already tense over alleged U.S. drone attacks inside Pakistan and the perception among Pakistanis that the U.S. is calling too many shots there.

Protesters are demanding Davis be hanged -- taking to the streets of Lahore to burn the U.S. flag and chant anti-U.S. slogans. (Video from NTDTV)

And with more speculation than confirmed facts - the Davis case is rife with conspiracy theories. Iran’s state-owned Press TV’s Zaid Hamid calls Davis the - quote - “head of a much larger snake.”

“The issue is not just with the assassination of those two boys on the streets of Lahore, but it is about a much larger network of CIA espionage and sabotage inside Pakistan. ... There are even suspicions the CIA might try to assassinate him just to keep him silent, because there’s much more to this incident than what meets the eye.”

The Christian Science Monitor’s Ben Arnoldy says the Pakistani government has to walk a fine line between a hard line on Davis and addressing U.S. demands he be released. But - Arnoldy reports - with the revelation Davis was with the CIA - the U.S. is going to have a harder time getting what it wants.

“[Opposition groups] have found traction ... because of popular fears that … the Pakistani government rolls over quietly. [They have] staged street protests in major cities to pressure the government not to return Davis, holding signs that included: ‘Friends of America are traitors.’”

But according to The Guardian - it isn’t Davis’ CIA ties that hurt him - it’s his ties to security firm Blackwater -- now known as Xe.

“...given the extent of hatred towards Blackwater, whose staff have gained a reputation in Pakistan as trigger-happy. For Pakistanis the word ‘Blackwater’ has become a byword for covert American operations targeting the country's nuclear capability.”

The State Department says even though he worked for the CIA -- Davis is still entitled to diplomatic protection. Pakistan says it won’t decide on Davis’ diplomatic immunity until mid-March.
 

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