Make US nationals respect Pakistan's Laws

[ajpirzada]

ISLAMABAD – Young police officers’ commitment to law enforcement was revealed when one of them, a young ASP, chased a fleeing US embassy vehicle after it deliberately ignored the police’s request at a picket to stop and broke through the picket instead. The ASP gave them chase and brought the Americans back from two kilometres away from the picket and forced them to tender an apology to the police officials deployed there, sources said on Thursday.
Sources said that the incident took place on Tuesday evening within the limits of Golra police station when police officials deployed at a picket established on Kashmir Highway near Golra morrh stopped a suspicious Black Land Cruiser with tinted glasses, registeration number GB 0332. But the luxury vehicle’s riders ignored the police signal and sped away.
On this, the valiant police officer Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Saddar Circle Capt(R) Liaqat Ali Malik, who was present on the occasion, started chasing the vehicle and finally held the luxury vehicle near the Motorway, some 2 kms away from the picket, sources said.
Sources said that ASP, along with two police officials, stopped the said vehicle by intercepting his car in front of the Land Cruiser near Motorway Chowk and asked the riders to step out of the vehicle for checking. But the Americans refused to comply with the police officer. The two arrogant Americans did not bother to come out of the car or even roll down their windows. Instead, they merely displayed their US embassy cards and diplomatic number plate.
Also, almost immediately, the police officer also received a threatening call from the US embassy but he ignored all pressure.
Quoting the ASP, sources mentioned that he said to the Americans, “I can die but I will not let you go without conducting a search. You have only one option: come out of the vehicle and allow my officials to search and follow my vehicle towards the same picket where you have to apologise to all the officials deployed there as you people have violated the law.”
According to sources, after an exchange of harsh words, finally the Americans had to follow the police officer and they were made to apologise to all the police officials deployed at said picket. Only then did the officer let them leave. It is relevant to note here no arms and ammunitions were recovered from the said vehicle. When contacted ASP Capt (r) Liaqat Malik confirmed the incident but refused to share the details. He is naturally afraid that he may be taken to task for being a patriotic and conscientious officer given how the US has pressured senior officials to accept US nationals breaking the law with impunity.

Makes US nationals respect the law of the land | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online

 

[mshoaib61]

He should be role model for all police officers and all officers should learn from him , That law is same for everyone and it does not matter who the person is and from where he belongs !

 

[PAFAce]

Thanks ajpirzada. The wordings of the news report make me doubt its credibility. It's just too loaded. However, it is very troubling indeed to see the lack of respect for Pakistani law enforcement shown by certain foreigners recently, not to mention the utter blindness to Pakistani efforts and concerns in the War on Terror.

In addition to embassy officials, the CIA and other foreign organizations have been in Pakistan for a very long time, even pre Sep. 11, 2001, but I don't ever remember another time when there has been this much lunacy tolerated by these organizations. Diplomatic immunity be damned, I wouldn't object if somebody open-fired on one of these "black, tinted-windowed, Land Cruisers" suspect vehicles at a check-post; how do we know it's not a suicide bomber inside? The US sure has a unique way of winning "hearts and minds".

I wonder what'll happen if the Pakistani ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani, were to ignore all their laws and put up the dip-imm sign every time he was caught. That'd be something eh?

 

[Ghareeb_Da_Baal]

One of these days some vigilantes will take it upon themselves to enforce the laws themselves while the hijjra establishment looks on...I wonder what will be the consequences then?

 

[Slides]

One of these days some vigilantes will take it upon themselves to enforce the laws themselves while the hijjra establishment looks on...I wonder what will be the consequences then?

You mean the taliban?

 

[Hulk]

I am not even sure if they are breaking law or their is internal arrangement. How come a government not enforce the law if they have the will.

 

[Solomon2]

Umm, the story was published in The Nation, how reliable can it be?

 

[mshoaib61]

 

[ajpirzada]

the point is that if they are told to stop at any check post then they should. if they dont want to get some kind of sticker from the gov which tells the police to not stop them

 

[Spring Onion]

Umm, the story was published in The Nation, how reliable can it be?

Ask the US embassy they got a good chase. But unfortunately we have some bad bad rulers.

But i think we should not see any reason why in future any of such vehicle be fired upon by anyone

 

[Spring Onion]

I am not even sure if they are breaking law or their is internal arrangement. How come a government not enforce the law if they have the will.

Well you see in countries like ours you cant expect a police officer to do anything even if he wants to do, but if your ruler is gutless, the civil law enforcers cant do anything.

The point to ponder is that why the activities of American officials read Blackwater operatives have increased in Punjab??

 

[BATMAN]

Umm, the story was published in The Nation, how reliable can it be?

Nation is well known local news paper, why would you not believe it.
Hundreds in the city watched this drama unfold and traffic was jammed for long time.
This is also not the first incident of its kind.
Such incidents are taking place on daily basis, car checking in Pakistan is very random and US officials have studied this fact before starting to use fake numbers plates.... an illegal act by all means and matter of fact is in all past terrorist attacks vehicles used were bearing fake plate, including the one which killed parying children in mosque of rawalpindi.
it seems US and TTP has common intelligence advisor, this fact should immediately ring the bells!

 

[BATMAN]

There is a dangerous design to it
Shireen M Mazari
It would be bordering on a slapstick comedy routine if the issue was not so serious. The daily drama we are witnessing in Islamabad and Lahore of US nationals in four wheelers with tinted glasses breaking the law and refusing to submit themselves to the law enforcement authorities. Without IDs but often with prohibitive bore weapons (without licenses), these Americans are held for a few hours and then released unconditionally after pressure from unknown Pakistani sources and the US embassy and consulate. At a time when not only the founder of Blackwater, but also the CIA, have both admitted that this company is working in Pakistan and till now was in cahoots with the CIA itself; questions are being raised about why US nationals are deliberately indulging in this game of brinkmanship with the law of the land - almost deliberately drawing attention to themselves. Is this mere muscle flexing to send a message to the Pakistani public at large about US power and penetration in their country? Or is there something more to it all?
Before looking into this question, two points also need to be made about Interior Minister Rehman Malik. First, he had committed to resigning if the presence of Blackwater could be proven in Pakistan. Well, if the CIA itself is saying they were working with this company in Pakistan, there should be no need for any other proof! On a more important note, though, Mr Malik has offered some ridiculous explanation as to why the Pakistani law enforcement agencies can’t do anything to the Americans breaking the law in Pakistan. This is simply not correct factually in terms of international law and diplomatic practices. First, even diplomats carrying their IDs can be stopped by police and searched - they can’t be prosecuted for a crime unless they waive off their immunity. But more important, those with no IDs and with no diplomatic immunity can certainly be stopped, searched, arrested and charged under the law of Pakistan. Merely working for the US embassy or Consulate does not give diplomatic immunity to the person concerned. In fact, many US nationals working for their government do not have diplomatic status and therefore immunity, including most of their covert operatives. Certainly the private security company personnel have no diplomatic immunity at all, even though the US diplomats may constantly be coming to their rescue. Legally, though, they can only ensure that their non-diplomatic detained citizens get access to legal services and are looked after properly. They can’t compel the Pakistani authorities to release them. Equally important, in legal terms, is the fact that even US diplomats with the immunity can only publicly carry arms if they have been permitted to do so by the host government. So Mr Malik should stop covering up for what now clearly seems to be an acquiescence by the Interior Ministry to these armed activities of US nationals - many of them neither US officials nor diplomats.

 

[TruthSeeker]

The solution to this problem is obvious. Shoot a few "Yankees", by mistake, and apologize profusely for the oversight. Offer some blood money ($1,000 per killed Yankee). Problem solved. That's what we would do here in Virginia if any Yankees were disrespecting us.

 

[TaimiKhan]

The solution to this problem is obvious. Shoot a few "Yankees", by mistake, and apologize profusely for the oversight. Offer some blood money ($1,000 per killed Yankee). Problem solved. That's what we would do here in Virginia if any Yankees were disrespecting us.

If this is sarcasm, well a good one.

But if you are telling it as an advice how to handle such things, perfect one.

Nothing else will solve this menace by other means except what you just said.