It appears that the diplomatic standoff between the US and Pakistan over the imprisonment of US contractor Raymond Davis has been settled just like everything always is when it comes to Pakistan..with the payment of baksheesh, bribe money.
As you'll recall, Davis was a CIA contractor in Pakistan covered by a diplomatic passport who was arrested by Pakistani authorities after he gunned down two armed agents with Pakistan's notorious ISI intelligence service who were were tailing Davis as a spy.
The ISI is noted for aiding and abetting Islamist terrorists. My own reading of this is that Davis, who has a Special Forces background, was in fact likely doing something covert that needed doing, something the ISI didn't want done. Davis has a Special Forces background and runs his own private security company. When the ISI sent out two hired guns to make him conveniently disappear, they both wound up on the receiving end instead.
After Pakistani authorities jailed Davis, the US protested (correctly) that Davis enjoyed diplomatic immunity and demanded his release.
But Pakistan being Pakistan, the case created created a huge public furor, especially after the wife of one of the deceased ISI agents committed a nasty, dramatic and very public suicide by taking poison on Pakistani television after voicing an anti-American rant in front of the cameras.
What eventually happened was that Pakistani government leaned on the families to take some baksheesh from the US ( some of which undoubtedly went to people in the Pakistani government for 'handling' the transaction)in order to back off and let the matter drop.
The price? Between $770K and $1 million for three families (one additional ISI agent was hit by a car when Davis' CIA colleagues attempted to extricate him from the scene).
Punjab province law minister Rana Sanauallah told a Pakistani news channel that Davis was set free by the court after the blood money was accepted by the families of those killed, in accordance with what passes for law in Pakistan, whose legal code is based on sharia.
3 comments:
i keep getting baksheesh and jizyah mixed up.
yeah, i know, it's a gentile thing.
More a kuffar ( infidel ) thing,bro.
Baksheesh is an out and out bribe for something specific.
Jirzyah is monetary tribute (protection money)paid to Muslim overlords by kuffars to stay healthy.
If the US government would read the words of King Solomon and take them to heart, we could all save ourselves allot of trouble. Essentially King Solomon says you cannot expect to buy friends with money. Of course the US government is not going to read the words or King Solomon or take them to heart as they are ungodly.
With regards to foreign policy the biggest problem the US has right now is its poor image around the world. Trying to buy friends in this way makes one look weak and foolish. Either of the following would be a better approach. 1.)Make it known that you will not be harrassed and if you are you will use military force with extreme prejudice against ANYONE who attempts to shake you down. In other words, there will be no using of drones in precision strikes where every effort is being made to avoid "collateral damage" damage or the deaths of "civilians." 2.)Withdraw all forces and other personnel from Pakistan and elsewhere in the Middle East. If those men are not there, then it becomes much more difficult to kidnap them and it should, in time, limit some of friction that exists between us and them and it might even lead to more productive relations with the Arabs, in time. In the mean time, our brave warriors would be redeployed to positions where they might actually have a fighting chance to defend our country.
I think option 2 is probably the most viable option right now. In order to implement option 1, one would have to have a viable military deterent to Pakistan or others in the region. Unfortunately we don't right now. In order to get this deterent, we would need to invest in massive upgrades to our military and our warriors will need the latest most up to date training. Given the state of the economy and the national debt, we simply cannot afford the kind of expenditures.
Also, option 1 runs a risk of a confrontation with Russia, China, or possibly India. The United States is no where close to being in a position to fight a war with either Russia or China right now with any realistic possibility of winning such a war. As for India, winning such a war is also very unlikely for the United States as well.
Part of being successful at any endeavor is understanding one's limitations and acting accordingly. The United States is no different. The sooner we begin withdrawing the better. Such a course of action, gives the United States the best option for its short to long range survival. Hopefully we will find the leaders who will act in the best interest of America and its people and begin implementing this.
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