Raymond Davis book available for ‘free’

LAHORE: “The Contractor: How I Landed in a Pakistani Prison and Ignited a Diplomatic Crisis” a memoir by CIA co tractor Raymond Davis, which has taken Pakistani media by storm, is worth $17, but, strangely enough, is available on the social media in the form of PDF file for “free”. 

The book was launched on June 27 and reached only some bookstores in the United States by June 29. However, in Pakistan, the memoir started circulating through WhatsApp and emails by June 30 (Friday night).

The former spy, Raymond Davis, had shot two men in Lahore on January 27, 2011 while a third man was killed by a vehicle coming to rescue him. His arrest and following developments ignited a diplomatic crisis between Pakistan and the United States. In less than two months, Raymond Davis was released on March 16, 2011, after the families of the two killed men received $2.4 million as blood money. He then immediately returned to the US.

 A fresh debate has erupted in Pakistan, particularly on the social media, about the role of a former ISI chief General retired Pasha in the whole episode. Critics see this development           free of cost availability of the book and its massive circulation through social media, a move to malign Pakistan. They also see this development in the perspective of the growing Pakistan-China partnership and United States’ diminishing role in the region.