Mr. Davis is mentioned in subsequent regarding the widow's death and related news of the local furor surrounding the case:Although the U.S. Embassy has not said what position the man held at the consulate in Lahore, why he was armed or whether he qualifies for diplomatic immunity, the U.S. is claiming that the man holds immunity.
U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the legal case is pending said the U.S. has asserted the man's immunity in discussions with Pakistan and sought access to the man by U.S. Embassy personnel. The U.S. is trying to free the man quickly, officials said.
Western diplomats travel with armed guards in many parts of Pakistan because of the risk of militant attack. Lahore has seen frequent terrorist bombings and shootings over the last two years, though the city's small expatriate population has not been directly targeted.
In a two-sentence statement, the U.S. Embassy confirmed that a consulate staffer "was involved in an incident yesterday that regrettably resulted in the loss of life." The U.S. was working with Pakistanis to "determine the facts and work toward a resolution," it said.
In the capital, Islamabad, and the city of Karachi, several dozen people burned U.S. flags and chanted slogans.
"Hang the U.S. spy, the killer of three Pakistanis," read one placard.
The issue of American diplomats or their security details carrying weapons inside Pakistan was a hot-button subject last year among certain politicians and sections of the media purportedly worried about the country's sovereignty. They were frequently presented as a threat to ordinary Pakistanis.
"The Americans feel they can kill any Pakistani that they want, because the blood of Pakistanis is cheap for the Americans," said Shireen Mazari, a prominent rightwing commentator.
Despite the sensitivities of the case, it seems unlikely either country will allow it to seriously affect ties because the relationship is vital for both. Washington needs Pakistan's support to stabilize Afghanistan and defeat al-Qaida, while Islamabad relies heavily on U.S. aid and diplomatic support.
Robbers on motorbikes pulling up alongside cars and holding them up is a common crime in Pakistani cities.
Americans and other foreigners have also been frequently targeted by Islamist militants in Pakistan.
In the northwestern city of Peshawar in 2008, gunmen shot and killed a U.S. aid worker as he drove to work. Suspected militants also opened fire on the vehicle of the top American diplomat in the city the same year, but she survived the attack.
Also Friday, a car bomb in northwest Pakistan killed five people and wounded 19.
The blast occurred in the Kohat tunnel, a busy thoroughfare that connects the main northwest city of Peshawar to southern Khyber Paktunkhwa, Punjab and Sind provinces, said police official Mujahid Khan.
Northwest Pakistan has witnessed numerous bombings over the past several years. Most are believed linked to al-Qaida and Taliban-led militant groups.
LAHORE, Pakistan — The wife of a Pakistani man shot and killed by a U.S. official committed suicide by eating rat poison Sunday, explaining before she died that she was driven to act by fears the American would be freed without trial, a doctor said.
The U.S. has demanded Pakistani authorities release the American, saying he shot and killed two armed men in self-defense when they attempted to rob him as he drove his car in the eastern city of Lahore. He was arrested on Jan. 27, and the U.S. has said he has diplomatic immunity and is being illegally detained.
The shootings have stoked anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, feelings that could be further inflamed by Shumaila Kanwal's suicide. She died several hours after being rushed to a hospital, said Ali Naqi, the doctor in Faisalabad city who treated her.
"I do not expect any justice from this government," said Kanwal in a statement recorded by the doctor before she died. "That is why I want to kill myself."
Kanwal also spoke to reporters after arriving at the hospital, saying "I want blood for blood."
"The way my husband was shot, his killer should be shot in the same fashion," she said.
The case puts Pakistan's government in a difficult position. The government relies on the U.S. for billions of dollars in aid but is wary of being seen as doing Washington's bidding. The U.S. is widely unpopular in Pakistan, in part because of its undeclared campaign of drone missile strikes along the northwest border with Afghanistan.
The government could face charges of being an American lackey if it hands Raymond Davis over to the United States. But refusing to do so risks harming a relationship with a vital ally.
Pakistani officials have avoided definitive statements on Davis' level of diplomatic clearance and whether he qualifies for immunity.
Federal officials have said the decision on his fate is up to courts in Punjab province, where the shootings occurred. But provincial officials have said the federal government must decide whether Davis has immunity. The two governments are controlled by rival political parties, which has further complicated the case.
Besides the two men who were shot dead, a bystander was also killed when he was struck by an American car rushing to the scene to help Davis. Police have said they want to question the Americans suspected in that death as well.
Relatives of the men who were allegedly shot by Davis have participated in several protests in Lahore, including one Thursday outside the U.S. consulate where demonstrators shouted "Hang the American killer!"
Some commentators have tried to paint the two men as innocent Pakistanis rather than thieves who were attempting to rob Davis. But the U.S. Embassy has said the men had criminal backgrounds and had robbed money and valuables at gunpoint from a Pakistani citizen in the same area minutes before the shootings.
What are your thought? Kind of odd how a consular employee is found carrying a weapon particularly when most Foreign Service employees don't utilize weapons in the performance of official duties. Even more odd considering I can't imagine the department signing off on the arming of its "diplomatic" personnel. Hmmm.....I have a feeling there may be more than meets the eye with Mr. Davis.
