The Book of Davis - Reading between the lines
Published by Global Affairs / Aug 2017
Raymond Davis is a champ. A team player, who puts the needs of his comrades in arms before himself. He is savvy. He is a man of integrity - a survivor - a trooper. Ray, the epitome of courage runs headlong towards danger and into a minefield - literally. He is all this and more. This is his story after all.
6 years ago, he was a trained Special Forces SF, undercover ‘contractor’, forced to navigate the cramped alleyways of Lahore on a routine mission – the details of which remain a mystery. His book ‘The Contractor: How I Landed in a Pakistani Prison and Ignited a Diplomatic Crisis’ with Storms Reback, revisits the scene of the crime to solidify his innocence and along the way take a few potshots at random players who helped secure his release. It’s a hair-raising ride.
His style is conversational, his demeanor - amiable. The case is still fresh in people’s minds and his intent to set the record straight ignites yet another round of controversy, much of it unnecessary. The May 2011 Seal raid of Abbottabad probably did more harm to the special relationship than a tell-all from a burned operative who got caught in a diplomatic firestorm and ended up in a Pakistani prison. The fact that a book priced at Rs.1400 at some websites is also available for download for free so soon after publication has raised eyebrows. Propaganda is how many term it because of the eagerness to spread the message.
There are no spoilers in this sordid saga and Imran Khan’s gross over simplification that “….this book should be read by Pakistanis to understand why we are treated with little respect internationally” alongside his outrage needs to be tempered. Ray killed two thugs / informants, got caught and reportedly escaped the gallows by relying on the goodwill of very agencies he might have been trying to subvert. It is ironic that everything abhorrent about the system supposedly came to his rescue at the end.
The book is meant to dispel the impression that contractors are mercenaries for hire who leave death and destruction in their wake or trigger happy cowboys who arrive on the scene guns blazing. While it serves to humanize Ray, worries that it is a ploy to demonize Pakistani state institutions are rampant. This account mustn’t be taken as gospel. When critique of his own agency is muted, and so much of the book is redacted, hauling Pakistan’s broken justice system, its powerful military and bureaucracy over the rakes becomes a necessity.
Clearly, it was important for him to send the message home that he didn’t break. Yet the mission was compromised the moment the gunfight ensued. He singlehandedly blew up an entire network of ‘contractors’ making it nigh impossible for coming generations of undercover operatives to wander the streets with impunity. One can see first-hand the logistical nightmare and folly of pulling a sophisticated rescue op on the mad streets of Lahore as his extraction team bailed.
The local law enforcement team that ensured his safe exit from a dicey situation after the shootout does not merit attention. That his protective detail is kept unarmed inside the walls to ensure no one goes rogue at the behest of some mullah no doubt, does not elicit any gratitude. Then there’s the fact that he was tortured but before coming to Pakistan as part of a training op in USA to withstand torture should he ever be captured. His sojourn at Lahore’s infamous Kot Lakhpat jail however is a picture of privilege. By his own account he is well guarded, well fed at the military base, the detention house and finally the prison. Pizza Hut and McDonalds frequently came to his rescue. Greasy curries and rice that followed qualify as enhanced interrogation techniques.
A cryptic take about the backroom dealings poses some problems. “Pasha was angered by Panetta’s response and grew even more so when Ambassador Munter, after clearing it with officials from the White House and State Department, explained to him the exact nature of my job. Pasha understood how important it was—for both sides—to get me out of Pakistan as soon as possible, but like his country’s president and prime minister he was happy to let me remain in jail until an acceptable solution to this increasingly vexing problem could be found.” Were Pakistani spymasters really read into Ray’s classified mission to convince them of the necessity of securing his freedom? So it wasn’t carrots and sticks that compelled them to do so but a collective interest in serving some greater good?
Throughout his ordeal, the chip on his shoulder stays intact. He remains superior and contemptuous, openly scoffing at the interrogation techniques of Pakistani law enforcement and military intelligence combined; not only can he withstand the Q&A, but can teach them a thing or two about soft sell and hard sell. Moments when he turned the tables on his interrogators making them lose their temper, are relayed with relish. He can fence with the best of them, never-mind they were trained by his own FBI.
Raymond Davis may be a prisoner for 49 days but his reluctant hosts’ hands were tied when dealing with such a challenging subject. He couldn’t be detained indefinitely or released immediately. The illusion of democracy, sovereignty, equal justice for all had to be preserved at all costs. His safety was paramount while he was on trial even as his value as a high level operative remained in question. While he makes a big show of being unfamiliar with the local lingo, reports circulating at the time hinted at contacts with LeT, LeJ and TTP. That would require more than passing familiarity with the language and a murkier agenda.
But he sticks to the present where one can sympathize with his greatest fears – the dangers posed by frenzied mob and the malignant mullah and marvel at the constant spin. The fact that he avoided a bloodbath on the streets by choosing to not start a firefight is meant to inspire confidence in our lone ranger’s remarkable restraint. That he had the presence of mind to stay his ground and not get chased by a mob makes him a shrewd operative. That his GPS and phone records ended up in the hands of local agencies allowing them to mine through a veritable goldmine makes him plain careless.
He is astute, able to sniff out an ISI agent a mile away and can pull wool over the eyes of our best and brightest yet his marksmanship skills had already alerted them to his trade. He is also man of integrity who declares he would not allow himself to be part of a prisoner exchange for that monster / terrorist Aafia Siddiqui. But was such an exchange ever on the cards?
Inconsistencies abound in the narrative. It is understandable how vulnerable he was in a sedan. But not how the mob could open doors of the extraction team’s bullet proof, secured SUV barreling towards him so easily. Ray also doesn’t clarify how he sent a text to his home base after his cell phone was confiscated, or how he ended up from a military base to a prison lockup in the span of a few paragraphs for that matter. He received the army’s highest marksmanship qualification badge and practically brags about his quick draw skills. That he shot to kill not disarm or injure then becomes an interesting anomaly.
He is also offended, offended at the thought of buying his freedom. The characterization of Davis, the mild mannered contractor is pristine, so much so that only MARVEL or DC can do justice in the film adaptation. Yet with all the diplomatic machinations put in play to get him out, he remains a liability – a source of embarrassment for his own government. Whether or not he was following the trail of breadcrumbs that led to the capture of Bin Laden, Raymond Davis remains a shadowy footnote – a cautionary tale that serves to highlight the consequences of lobbing metaphorical grenades at the fragile inter-agency cooperation and the sheer insanity of attempting Hollywood stylized rescue op in a third world nation.
Raymond Davis is a champ. A team player, who puts the needs of his comrades in arms before himself. He is savvy. He is a man of integrity - a survivor - a trooper. Ray, the epitome of courage runs headlong towards danger and into a minefield - literally. He is all this and more. This is his story after all.
6 years ago, he was a trained Special Forces SF, undercover ‘contractor’, forced to navigate the cramped alleyways of Lahore on a routine mission – the details of which remain a mystery. His book ‘The Contractor: How I Landed in a Pakistani Prison and Ignited a Diplomatic Crisis’ with Storms Reback, revisits the scene of the crime to solidify his innocence and along the way take a few potshots at random players who helped secure his release. It’s a hair-raising ride.
His style is conversational, his demeanor - amiable. The case is still fresh in people’s minds and his intent to set the record straight ignites yet another round of controversy, much of it unnecessary. The May 2011 Seal raid of Abbottabad probably did more harm to the special relationship than a tell-all from a burned operative who got caught in a diplomatic firestorm and ended up in a Pakistani prison. The fact that a book priced at Rs.1400 at some websites is also available for download for free so soon after publication has raised eyebrows. Propaganda is how many term it because of the eagerness to spread the message.
There are no spoilers in this sordid saga and Imran Khan’s gross over simplification that “….this book should be read by Pakistanis to understand why we are treated with little respect internationally” alongside his outrage needs to be tempered. Ray killed two thugs / informants, got caught and reportedly escaped the gallows by relying on the goodwill of very agencies he might have been trying to subvert. It is ironic that everything abhorrent about the system supposedly came to his rescue at the end.
The book is meant to dispel the impression that contractors are mercenaries for hire who leave death and destruction in their wake or trigger happy cowboys who arrive on the scene guns blazing. While it serves to humanize Ray, worries that it is a ploy to demonize Pakistani state institutions are rampant. This account mustn’t be taken as gospel. When critique of his own agency is muted, and so much of the book is redacted, hauling Pakistan’s broken justice system, its powerful military and bureaucracy over the rakes becomes a necessity.
Clearly, it was important for him to send the message home that he didn’t break. Yet the mission was compromised the moment the gunfight ensued. He singlehandedly blew up an entire network of ‘contractors’ making it nigh impossible for coming generations of undercover operatives to wander the streets with impunity. One can see first-hand the logistical nightmare and folly of pulling a sophisticated rescue op on the mad streets of Lahore as his extraction team bailed.
The local law enforcement team that ensured his safe exit from a dicey situation after the shootout does not merit attention. That his protective detail is kept unarmed inside the walls to ensure no one goes rogue at the behest of some mullah no doubt, does not elicit any gratitude. Then there’s the fact that he was tortured but before coming to Pakistan as part of a training op in USA to withstand torture should he ever be captured. His sojourn at Lahore’s infamous Kot Lakhpat jail however is a picture of privilege. By his own account he is well guarded, well fed at the military base, the detention house and finally the prison. Pizza Hut and McDonalds frequently came to his rescue. Greasy curries and rice that followed qualify as enhanced interrogation techniques.
A cryptic take about the backroom dealings poses some problems. “Pasha was angered by Panetta’s response and grew even more so when Ambassador Munter, after clearing it with officials from the White House and State Department, explained to him the exact nature of my job. Pasha understood how important it was—for both sides—to get me out of Pakistan as soon as possible, but like his country’s president and prime minister he was happy to let me remain in jail until an acceptable solution to this increasingly vexing problem could be found.” Were Pakistani spymasters really read into Ray’s classified mission to convince them of the necessity of securing his freedom? So it wasn’t carrots and sticks that compelled them to do so but a collective interest in serving some greater good?
Throughout his ordeal, the chip on his shoulder stays intact. He remains superior and contemptuous, openly scoffing at the interrogation techniques of Pakistani law enforcement and military intelligence combined; not only can he withstand the Q&A, but can teach them a thing or two about soft sell and hard sell. Moments when he turned the tables on his interrogators making them lose their temper, are relayed with relish. He can fence with the best of them, never-mind they were trained by his own FBI.
Raymond Davis may be a prisoner for 49 days but his reluctant hosts’ hands were tied when dealing with such a challenging subject. He couldn’t be detained indefinitely or released immediately. The illusion of democracy, sovereignty, equal justice for all had to be preserved at all costs. His safety was paramount while he was on trial even as his value as a high level operative remained in question. While he makes a big show of being unfamiliar with the local lingo, reports circulating at the time hinted at contacts with LeT, LeJ and TTP. That would require more than passing familiarity with the language and a murkier agenda.
But he sticks to the present where one can sympathize with his greatest fears – the dangers posed by frenzied mob and the malignant mullah and marvel at the constant spin. The fact that he avoided a bloodbath on the streets by choosing to not start a firefight is meant to inspire confidence in our lone ranger’s remarkable restraint. That he had the presence of mind to stay his ground and not get chased by a mob makes him a shrewd operative. That his GPS and phone records ended up in the hands of local agencies allowing them to mine through a veritable goldmine makes him plain careless.
He is astute, able to sniff out an ISI agent a mile away and can pull wool over the eyes of our best and brightest yet his marksmanship skills had already alerted them to his trade. He is also man of integrity who declares he would not allow himself to be part of a prisoner exchange for that monster / terrorist Aafia Siddiqui. But was such an exchange ever on the cards?
Inconsistencies abound in the narrative. It is understandable how vulnerable he was in a sedan. But not how the mob could open doors of the extraction team’s bullet proof, secured SUV barreling towards him so easily. Ray also doesn’t clarify how he sent a text to his home base after his cell phone was confiscated, or how he ended up from a military base to a prison lockup in the span of a few paragraphs for that matter. He received the army’s highest marksmanship qualification badge and practically brags about his quick draw skills. That he shot to kill not disarm or injure then becomes an interesting anomaly.
He is also offended, offended at the thought of buying his freedom. The characterization of Davis, the mild mannered contractor is pristine, so much so that only MARVEL or DC can do justice in the film adaptation. Yet with all the diplomatic machinations put in play to get him out, he remains a liability – a source of embarrassment for his own government. Whether or not he was following the trail of breadcrumbs that led to the capture of Bin Laden, Raymond Davis remains a shadowy footnote – a cautionary tale that serves to highlight the consequences of lobbing metaphorical grenades at the fragile inter-agency cooperation and the sheer insanity of attempting Hollywood stylized rescue op in a third world nation.
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