Pakistan was asked by US to release US diplomat
ISLAMABAD — On Saturday the United States called for the immediate release of a US diplomat it said was unlawfully detained by Pakistani authorities in Lahore, said its embassy in Islamabad.
The man, previously described just as a consulate employee, is being held in police custody over the shooting deaths Thursday of two men he said he killed in self-defence.
The embassy said, “When detained, the US diplomat identified himself to police as a diplomat and repeatedly requested immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”
“Local police and senior authorities failed to observe their legal obligation to verify his status with either the US consulate general in Lahore or the US embassy in Islamabad.”
“Furthermore, the diplomat was formally arrested and remanded into custody, which is a violation of international norms and the Vienna Convention, to which Pakistan is a signatory.”
Raymond Davis was the name described by the US State Department as an American civilian working for the US consulate in Lahore, was held at a police station on double murder charges over the deaths of two motorcyclists.
On Thursday a third Pakistani was crushed to death by a consulate car that went to help Davis following the shooting in a busy street in the eastern city.
“The diplomat, assigned to the US embassy in Islamabad, has a US diplomatic passport and Pakistani visa valid until June 2012,” the statement said.
