US_agent Pakistan Terrosist Agent Provocateur CIA Raymond Davis

Finally, there is one newspaper that dares to publish it:

CIA agent Davis had ties with local militants'

By Qaiser Butt -- Published: February 22, 2011

Phone records of Davis show that he had ties with 33 Pakistanis,
including 27 from TTP and LeJ. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: As American newspapers lifted a self-imposed gag on the CIA
links of Raymond Davis, in place on the request of the US
administration, The Express Tribune has now learnt that the alleged
killer of two Pakistanis had close links with the Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP).

The New York Times reported on Monday that Davis "was part of a
covert, CIA-led team of operatives conducting surveillance on militant
groups deep inside the country, according to American government
officials."

This contradicts the US claim that Davis was a member of the
'technical and administrative staff' of its diplomatic mission in
Pakistan.

Davis was arrested on January 27 after allegedly shooting dead two
young motorcyclists at a crowded bus stop in Lahore. American
officials say that the arrest came after a 'botched robbery attempt'.

"The Lahore killings were a blessing in disguise for our security
agencies who suspected that Davis was masterminding terrorist
activities in Lahore and other parts of Punjab," a senior official in
the Punjab police claimed.

"His close ties with the TTP were revealed during the investigations,"
he added. "Davis was instrumental in recruiting young people from
Punjab for the Taliban to fuel the bloody insurgency." Call records of
the cellphones recovered from Davis have established his links with 33
Pakistanis, including 27 militants from the TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
sectarian outfit, sources said.

Davis was also said to be working on a plan to give credence to the
American notion that Pakistan's nuclear weapons are not safe. For this
purpose, he was setting up a group of the Taliban which would do his
bidding.

The larger picture

Davis's arrest and detention has pulled back the curtain on a web of
covert American operations inside Pakistan.

The former military ruler Pervez Musharraf had cut a secret deal with
the US in 2006, allowing clandestine CIA operations in his country.
This was done to make the Americans believe that Islamabad was not
secretly helping the Taliban insurgents.

Under the agreement, the CIA was allowed to acquire the services of
private security firms, including Blackwater (Xe Worldwide) and
DynCorp to conduct surveillance on the Taliban and al Qaeda.

According to The New York Times, even before his arrest, Davis's CIA
affiliation was known to Pakistani authorities. It added that his
visa, presented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in late 2009,
describes his job as a "regional affairs officer," a common job
description for officials working with the agency.

American officials said that with Pakistan's government trying to
clamp down on the increasing flow of CIA officers and contractors
trying to gain entry to Pakistan, more of these operatives have been
granted "cover" as embassy employees and given diplomatic passports.

However, "The government and security agencies were surprised to know
that Davis and some of his colleagues were involved in activities that
were not spelled out in the agreement," a source told The Express
Tribune.

"Davis's job was to trail links of the Taliban and al Qaeda in
different parts of Pakistan. But, instead, investigators found that he
had developed close links with the TTP," added the source.

Investigators had recovered 158 items from Davis, which include a 9mm
Gloc Pistol, five 9mm magazines, 75 bullets, GPS device, an infrared
torch, a wireless set, two mobile phones, a digital camera, a survival
kit, five ATM cards, and Pakistani and US currency notes, sources
said.

The camera had photographs of Pakistan's defence installations.

Intelligence officials say that some of the items recovered from Davis
are used by spies, not diplomats. This proves that he was involved in
activities detrimental to Pakistan's national interests.

The Punjab law minister has said that Davis could be tried for
anti-state activities. "The spying gadgets and sophisticated weapons
recovered are never used by diplomats," Rana Sanaullah told The
Express Tribune.

He said some of the items recovered from Davis have been sent for a
detailed forensic analysis. "A fresh case might be registered against
Davis under the [Official] Secrets Act once the forensics report was
received," he said.

Sanaullah said that Davis could also be tried under the Army Act. To
substantiate his viewpoint, he said recently 11 persons who had gone
missing from Rawalpindi's Adiyala jail were booked under the Army Act.

However, a senior lawyer said that only the Army has the authority to
register a case under the Army Act of 1952 against any person who is
involved in activities detrimental to the army or its installations.

"Such an accused will also be tried by the military court," Qazi
Anwer, former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association said. He
added that the civil authorities could register a case of espionage
against any person.

But interestingly, despite all the evidence of Davis's involvement in
espionage, the federal government is unlikely to try him for spying.

"He will be prosecuted only on charges of killing of two men in
Lahore," highly-placed sources told The Express Tribune.

The Davis saga has strained relations between Pakistan and the United
States, creating a dilemma for the PPP-led government.

More pressure

The pressure on the Pakistan government to release Davis has been
steadily intensifying.

According to The New York Times, "there have been a flurry of private
phone calls to Pakistan from Leon E Panetta, the CIA director, and
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all
intended to persuade the Pakistanis to release the secret operative."
WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ASAD KHARAL IN LAHORE

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2011.