Another American diplomat was jailed in Pakistan last week following the second major car accident involving US diplomats in Islamabad in less than a month. The incidents are said to contribute to continuing diplomatic tensions between the United States and Pakistan. Many in the South Asian country were shocked by a controversial incident in 2011 when a CIA officer serving at the US consulate in Lahore killed two men by shooting them in the head with a Glock pistol. CIA officer Raymond A. Davis told Pakistani police that the two men tried to rob him. He was eventually released from detention due to his diplomatic immunity, but only after the personal intervention of then Secretary of State John Kerry, and after Washington offered monetary compensation to the families of the two dead.
In the latest incident, Pakistani authorities arrested an American diplomat on Sunday after his Toyota SUV hit two men on motorcycles in Islamabad. American diplomat Chad Rex Ausburn was accused by police of being involved in a hit-and-run incident in the Pakistani capital. According to local reports, Ausburn refused to get out of his vehicle immediately after the accident, but eventually got out and identified with the police officers. They then took him into custody and confiscated his vehicle, which is believed to belong to the US embassy. Ausburn was released once the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed his diplomatic status, which grants him immunity from prosecution. The two men injured in the accident are said to be in stable condition at a nearby hospital. Police reportedly accused the motorcycle driver of reckless driving.
However, Pakistani authorities also accused Taimur Iqbal Pirzada, a security adviser for the US Embassy in Islamabad, of wanting to obstruct police investigations. Pirzada is accused of trying to prevent police officers from detaining Ausburn and impounding his vehicle. He was released on bail on Monday and is currently awaiting trial. State Department spokesman Nolen Johnson told the New York Times yesterday that the matter involving Ausburn had been "resolved" and that the US government had been "in close contact with Pakistani government officials on this matter." Last April, Pakistani authorities prevented another American diplomat from leaving the country after the car he was driving was involved in an accident in Islamabad, which left a motorcyclist dead. The military attaché of the US embassy, Colonel Joseph E. Hall cannot leave Pakistan. Authorities have demanded that the US State Department lift his diplomatic immunity so he can face a criminal trial. But the US government has so far refused to comply with Islamabad's request.
Strangely, however, incidents are occurring more frequently since the US officially announced that they want to cut economic aid to Pakistan. Last week the US Administration announced to cancel the tranche of 225 million dollars destined for Pakistan.
Strange combination!