Islamabad, Feb 18 (IANS) A Pakistan court has asked the federal government to keep Raymond Davis, a US official facing charges of gunning down two men, on the exit control list till the disposal of a petition challenging his diplomatic immunity status.
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry observed Thursday that the case could be decided only after the submission of a certificate on the issue of immunity, Dawn News reported Friday.
At the request of Deputy Attorney General Naveed Inayat Malik, the court allowed the federal government to submit a detailed reply by March 14, but restrained it from extraditing the accused.
Meanwhile, a judicial magistrate in Lahore sent Davis to jail on a 14-day judicial remand in a case relating to carrying illegal arms.
Davis has been in judicial custody pending investigation. He was arrested Jan 27 for killing two men at an intersection in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. Davis claimed to have acted on self-defence, saying the two men were trying to rob him.
Earlier, Advocate General Khwaja Harris submitted a report on behalf of the Punjab government and said that it was up to the federal government to resolve the question of immunity of the accused from criminal prosecution.
The US has pleaded for Davis’ release under the cover of diplomatic immunity. The Paksitan government has, however, asked US officials to wait for the court verdict.
