What the US Air and Defense Attaché, Colonel Joseph Emanuel, did in Islamabad on Saturday exemplifies the proverbial ugly American abroad: arrogant, unkind, and derogatory. Rashly driving an SUV, he jumped a red light signal and hit a motorcycle carrying two young men, killing its 22-year-old driver on the spot and injuring his pillion passenger. Surely, he would not have violated such a basic traffic rule while driving in his own country, but felt free to do so in Pakistan. Common decency demanded that he stop and try to help the victims of his reckless behaviour; instead he tried to speed away. Thankfully, the police caught him at the nearby checkpoint. Although the perpetrator was secure in the knowledge that he had immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961, still he would not cooperate with the police. He refused to get off his vehicle telling them to clear the way for him until some senior police officials arrived on the scene and took him and his vehicle to the police station, setting him free after necessary questioning.
Notably, this is not the first tragic incident of its kind in Islamabad involving a member of the US diplomatic mission. In July 2010, an embassy officer hit and killed two young bikers; less than three years later, ie, in February 2013 another officer rammed his Land Cruiser, just like Colonel Emanuel, into a motorcycle killing its two rideRs There clearly is a reason why only the US diplomatic agents in this country have been involved in such awful road 'accidents', murdering five Pakistani young men, while a sixth is in a hospital fighting for his life. Using diplomatic immunity as a licence to kill innocent people is unacceptable. It can only further aggravate anti-US sentiments, which is in neither country's interest. Pak-US relations are already at the lowest ebb, the last thing they need is such wanton behaviour by diplomatic agents.
As expected of it, the government has taken serious notice of the incident. US Ambassador David Hale was summoned on Sunday by the Foreign Office where Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua voiced "strong protest", also telling him justice would take its course in accordance with the law of the land and the relevant Vienna Convention. The police have requested the interior ministry and the Federal Investigation Agency to prevent the accused from leaving Pakistan till the completion of the investigation process. For his part, Ambassador Hale expressed deep sympathy and sadness over the loss of life, and assured the authorities of full cooperation in investigations. Considering that this is the third time in less than eight years that an American diplomatic agent has been involved in a fatal hit and run case, he should do more than offering cooperation to the local authorities. The man has immunity from jurisdiction of the host state but in view of the fact that there is a pattern to this conduct, the US should hold him to account under its own laws. No one should think they can easily get away with murder in this country or for that matter any country.