US seeks consular access to American held in Pakistan on ‘illegal stay’ charges

ISLAMABAD - The US Embassy in Islamabad has approached Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, seeking consular access for an American citizen named Aaron Mark De Haven who has been detained by police in Peshawar on ‘illegal stay’ charges.

“We are arranging consular access through the Government of Pakistan. Until a US government representative meets with him, we cannot confirm additional details,” The Nation quoted US Embassy’s acting spokesperson Courtney Beale, as saying.

The accused US national has been accused of staying in Pakistan illegally for more than four months after the expiry of his visa, and has been charged under Section 14 of the Foreign Act, 1946.

Sources revealed that Aaron hailed from the state of West Virginia in the United States and had been arrested from University Town Police Station’s jurisdiction for illegal overstay.

“The American arrested from the University Town Police Station’s jurisdiciton is believed to have converted to Islam three-years back and is now living in Peshawar by the name of Haroon,” the Dawn quoted the sources, as saying.

Aaron also married a Pakistani girl two years ago, who was his colleague in a security agency office in the University Town area of Peshawar.

The official sources said that the US national was responsible for provision of security to the foreign nationals’ visiting Pakistan and had an office in University Town, which at present had been shifted to Islamabad.

They said that Aaron had been issued a visa on January 1, 2010, which expired on 30th October 2010, but he kept on staying in Pakistan without a valid visa document.

Intelligence agencies’ personnel also grilled his in-laws living in the Falcoan Complex on University Road, and the media was not allowed to interact with the family or the arrested US national at the University Town Police station. (ANI)