US diplomat row: Zardari says court will decide issue
By IANSMonday, January 31, 2011
ISLAMABAD - Amid growing pressure to release an American diplomat arrested for killing two Pakistanis in Lahore, President Asif Ali Zardari Monday said the US should wait for the court’s decision in the matter.
Zardari told a visiting US Congressional delegation, which raised the issue with the president, that it would be “prudent” to wait for the legal course, Geo News reported.
The president said that he appreciated their concern but the matter was already before the court. “It would be prudent to wait for the legal course to be completed,” he said.
Davis Raymond, an employee of the US consulate in the capital of Punjab province, shot dead two youths whom he alleged were trying to rob him while a third was crushed under a vehicle immediately afterwards Thursday.
Pakistani authorities have rejected a US demand for the release of Davis.
The Lahore High Court Monday asked federal and provincial authorities to respond to a petition that called for steps to ensure that Davis is not handed over to the US.
