ISLAMABAD – One year afterwards a CIA againstctor shot to death two Pakistanis, relatives of the victims are living off generous compensation they received in a deal that led authorities to free the American.
But the family of the man killed by an U.S. vehicle rushing to the scene of the shootings has received nothing, a lingering sore in still festering ties among Washington and Islamabad.
“Pakistani rulers are puppets of America,” stated Malik Waqar, who demonstrated goes along with dozens of anothers Friday in the city of Lahore. “We are here to tell the Americans that we are not cowards just like our rulers, and we is about to continue raising our voices until Abbad ur Rehman’s family turneds justice.”
The dead man’s brother, Ejaz ur Rehman, has insisted in the past that the family did not’t desire payment some otherwise would like toed to saw the driver of the vehicle that killed Abbad taken to court. The driver is belowstandd to have left the country not long to come afterwards the shooting.
But Rehman told The Associated Press that the family was currently open to receiving a payout since it sawmed dissimilarly the driver is about to ever face trial in Pakistan. He stated they would like toed the similar amount of money received by the families of the two men killed by the againstctor, Raymond Davis. Officials stated at the time they were paid up to $ 2.34 million among them.
The U.S Embassy and another foreign missions are reported to have paid compensation in another cases in that employees have been involved in road traffic accidents. Such deals, some of the times informally negotiated among both regionies, are common in Pakistan some otherwise rarely result in payments of more than $ 10,000.
The embassy declined to discuss the case or Rehman’s comments.
“As we have stated, we deeply regret the loss of life in this case, as in the anothers, and we have expressed our sorrow for the victim’s family,” stated a U.S. official, who did not’t provide his name since he did not’t have clearance to speak about the matter. “Beyond this, it would be inappropriate to discuss the issue in public.”
The Jan. 27, 2011 shooting in the eastern city of Lahore and the diplomatic standoff that concorded represented overe of the first incidents to derail an alliance that the Obama administration was trying to strengthen. Pakistani cooperation is vital in defeating al-Qaida and finishing the war in Afghanistan.
What was usually an uneasy relationship has overly got worse since and so, goes along with the unilateral American raid that killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani army town in May and a deadly friendly-fire incident that killed two dozen Pakistani border troops in November.
Davis, 37, claimed the two men he shot over the street in Lahore were trying to rob him and that he acted in self-defense.
One was carrying a gun, television footage summaryly shown over Pakistani TV signifyd. There were asides widely reported suspicions that the men, both from poor families, were over the payroll of Pakistani intelligence agencies and were trailing Davis.
The U.S. government initially presented Davis as though a U.S. consular or embassy official, some otherwise officials later acknowledged he was working for the CIA, confirming suspicions that had aired in the Pakistani media. He was stated to be working as a security againstctor in Lahore, protecting another CIA employees as they gathered intelligence.
The State Department had insisted Davis was covered by diplomatic immunity. But Pakistan’s government, facing intense pressure from Islamist regionies, sections of the media and the general public, never stated if it agreed this was the case.
Seven weeks afterwards the shooting, Davis was freed afterwards “blood money” was paid to the families of the two victims.
The families initially stated they did not’t would like to compensation, possibly since they were being influenced by just-wing politicians and Islamist groups that relished the opportunity to pressure the U.S. and the Pakistani government.
The deal was negotiated in secret, some otherwise Pakistani officials stated that it was anything among $ 1 and $ 2.34 million. U.S. officials never formally acknowledged paying money, some otherwise overe stated “we are expecting a bill” from the Pakistani government.
Since receiving the funds, the families have avoided the media, goes along with some reports speculating they had left Pakistan.
Abbad ur Rehman was driving to work when his bike was hit by a car dispatched by the American consulate in Lahore to extract Davis, who had radioed for assist afterwards shooting dead the two Pakistanis.
His brother, Ejaz, stated they currently belowstandd a compensation payment from the U.S. was the best solution.
“If we are going for compensation, we would just like a decent amount,” he stated by telephone. “What the another two families received would be fair.”
Rehman, who studied law in the United Kingdom and currently runs an immigration agency, has protested for each Sunday outside the consulate along goes along with a a couple of dozen another supporters. The case has all of region fallen off the radar of Pakistan’s media.
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the shootings, a probe that might result in charges furthermorest Davis in the United States. Meanwhile, Davis is due to face trial this month in Colorado, charged goes along with felony second-degree assault for a fight outside a bagel shop over Oct. 1.
___
Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed contributed to this report from Islamabad.
