The US and western media outlets seem to reveal too little about Raymond Davis, a US gunman who shot dead two Pakistanis in eastern city of Lahore on January 27, claiming he did in self-defence as he thought the men were robbers.
Since the shooting, the US government including President Barack Obamba have called for Davis release saying he enjoyed diplomatic immunity and could not be arrested and prosecuted in Pakistan. Pakistan government is reluctant to come out with a definite answer whether it sees Davis as a diplomat or not and using delaying tactics to clear the air about his immunity.
When it comes to Pakistani's suspected of terrorism, Western media would not leave any aspect of his/her life uncovered. Interviews would be done with the family members, friends, foes and neighbors and entire biography of the suspect from his coming into this world is scanned and graphically presented in by-lined stories.
Take the case of Afia Siddiqui and see how western media has covered it. Also the media gave full details of relatives of 7/7 London train bombers and what each of the terror suspect did and what their relatives did and what kind of life they had. Also in the case of Rashid Rauf, western media thronged his village in Haveli Begal in Pakistani Kashmir. And when it came to Mumbai attacks lone surviving gunman Ajmal Kasab, local and western media rushed to Farid Kot and issued dossiers on the family of Kasab.
When Faisal Shahzad was arrested in US for the failed Time Square bombing, the western media based in Pakistan rushed to his village Mohib Banda, near the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar and interviewed his relatives and villagers with graphic details on what kind of house he had.
In Raymond Davis case, the US media has revealed too little. There is no story about his private life. No interview of his wife, parents or friends. No word about his education, school and peers. Isn't it the double standard of US and Western media. When the subjects are from Pakistan, they would go deep into personal and family lives of suspects, but when it comes to a US man committing a crime, they would not dare put his/her life under the spotlight. There is no story in the US media about what Davis' family think about the incident. How is their morale? What are their worst fears? What Davis had told his family about his job in Pakistan? There are many stories which could be done on Davis by the US media.
But the mysterious silence gives credence to media reports that Davis was a US spy and involved in dubious activities. On the other hand, US media reports that the men wanted in killing of a third Pakistani who was crushed under a US consulate vehicle which had come to rescue Davis, he flown out of Pakistan evading their arrest ordered by Lahore High Court. Now this sends really bad signals and fans the anti-American sentiment which is already brewing following Davis episode.
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