Lahore:
A Pakistani television channel has aired footage purportedly showing an American detained for fatally shooting two Pakistanis.
The Dunya News video, apparently taken soon after the January 27 shootout, shows the American pleading with police to find his passport and saying he's a consultant for the US Consulate General in Lahore.
The video is poor quality, likely taken with a mobile phone camera.
The angle of the shot makes it appear as if the camera was put on a table, facing upwards.
The US has demanded Pakistan release the American, saying he has diplomatic immunity and that he shot the Pakistanis in self-defence.
Pakistani leaders say the matter is up to the courts.
The US is curbing contacts with Pakistani leaders, threatening to cut off aid if the man is not freed.
The shootings have stoked anti-American sentiment in Pakistan. The widow of one of the dead men recently committed suicide, apparently despairing that the US official would ever be brought to justice.
The case has also sparked protests in Pakistan's major cities, where protesters have hung effigies of the official and burnt American flags.
The case puts Pakistan's government in a difficult position. The government relies on the US for (b) billions of dollars in aid but is wary of being seen as doing Washington's bidding.
The US 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 the detained official over to the United States.
Pakistani officials have avoided definitive statements on the official's 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 have 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 the official. Police have said they want to question the Americans suspected in that death as well.
Some commentators have tried to paint the two men as innocent Pakistanis rather than thieves who were attempting to rob Davis. But the US Embassy has said the men had a criminal background and had robbed money and valuables at gunpoint from a Pakistani citizen in the same area minutes before the shootings.
Davis faces potential murder charges, and his next court appearance is set for Friday.
The Dunya News video, apparently taken soon after the January 27 shootout, shows the American pleading with police to find his passport and saying he's a consultant for the US Consulate General in Lahore.
The video is poor quality, likely taken with a mobile phone camera.
The angle of the shot makes it appear as if the camera was put on a table, facing upwards.
The US has demanded Pakistan release the American, saying he has diplomatic immunity and that he shot the Pakistanis in self-defence.
Pakistani leaders say the matter is up to the courts.
The US is curbing contacts with Pakistani leaders, threatening to cut off aid if the man is not freed.
The shootings have stoked anti-American sentiment in Pakistan. The widow of one of the dead men recently committed suicide, apparently despairing that the US official would ever be brought to justice.
The case has also sparked protests in Pakistan's major cities, where protesters have hung effigies of the official and burnt American flags.
The case puts Pakistan's government in a difficult position. The government relies on the US for (b) billions of dollars in aid but is wary of being seen as doing Washington's bidding.
The US 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 the detained official over to the United States.
Pakistani officials have avoided definitive statements on the official's 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 have 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 the official. Police have said they want to question the Americans suspected in that death as well.
Some commentators have tried to paint the two men as innocent Pakistanis rather than thieves who were attempting to rob Davis. But the US Embassy has said the men had a criminal background and had robbed money and valuables at gunpoint from a Pakistani citizen in the same area minutes before the shootings.
Davis faces potential murder charges, and his next court appearance is set for Friday.
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