ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – An influential Pakistani Islamist party accused the United States on Tuesday of riding roughshod in the case of a U.S. consular employee held over the killing of two Pakistanis and said it would hold protests if he is freed.
Raymond Davis was arrested after shooting two Pakistanis in what he called self defense during an armed robbery attempt and what Lahore’s police chief called “clear-cut murder”.
The United States is piling pressure on Pakistan to release Davis, saying his arrest was a violation of international conventions because he has diplomatic immunity.
Pakistan says the matter will be decided by its courts.
The issue has become a lightning rod for anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, which the United States counts as an important, if unreliable, ally in its war against militants that launch attacks against its soldiers in Afghanistan.
Full Story: Pakistan Islamists warn of protests if U.S. prisoner freed