Obama calls for Davis' release

Washington, Feb 16: Barack Obama, the President of the United States of America, on Feb 15 asked Pakistan to respect the diplomatic immunity of Raymond Davis and release him as soon as possible.

President Obama informed that his administration was working with their counterparts in Pakistan to secure the release of Davis, who is a consular member of the US in Lahore.

He said, "If our diplomats are in another country, then they are not subject to that country's local prosecution," and added, "We respect it with respect to diplomats who are here."

Raymond Davis has been charged with double murder, but he insists that the act was done in self-defence to prevent an attempted robbery.

US Senator John Kerry, who is also the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to meet Pakistani officials on Feb 16, in order to resolve the crisis and secure the release of Davis.

Assuring that Davis won't be allowed to go scot-free, Kerry said, "In fact I am at liberty to tell you today that it is customary in an incident like this for our government to conduct a criminal investigation. That's our law," and added, "I can give you the full assurance of our government today that will take place."

The Pakistani government has been warned by the country's al-Qaeda linked Taliban to release Davis at their own peril.

According to a report by the Reuters, Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq, said "If (Pakistani) rulers hand him over to America then we will target these rulers. If Pakistani courts cannot punish Davis then they should hand him over to us."

OneIndia News