US demands immediate release of ‘diplomat’ charged with Lahore double murder

ISLAMABAD - The United States has called for an immediate release of US citizen Raymond Davis, who was sent on a six-day remand on Friday after he was produced in a Pakistan court on charges of shooting dead two Pakistani men in a busy market in Lahore.

The US Embassy in Islamabad said the accused was unlawfully detained by Pakistani authorities.

“When detained, the US diplomat identified himself to police as a diplomat and repeatedly requested immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” Geo TV quoted the US Embassy, as saying in a statement.

“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,” it added.

Earlier, a January 28 press release by the embassy had said: A staff member of the U.S. Consulate General in Lahore was involved in an incident yesterday that regrettably resulted in the loss of life. The U.S. Embassy is working with Pakistani authorities to determine the facts and work toward a resolution.”

On Thursday, three people were killed when the American national opened fire on motorcycle riders and hit another with his car in an attempt to escape from the scene at Mazang Chowk in Lahore.

Both the injured were shifted to Services Hospital where they were pronounced dead, while the third motorcyclist, who was also injured when hit by the speeding car, succumbed to his wounds during treatment in Services Hospital. (ANI)