Raymond Davis sent to 14-day judicial remand

US official Raymond Davis, who shot dead two Pakistanis that sparked a row between Washington and Islamabad, was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a court here, an official said.

“He (Davis) has been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. The next hearing will be Feb 25,” the Geo News quoted Punjab government prosecutor Abdul Samad as saying.

“He is being sent to central jail Kot Lakhpat,” said police official Suhail Sukhera in reference to the high-security prison in Lahore.

The arrest of Davis, an American employee of the US diplomatic mission in Pakistan, after he shot dead two Pakistani men on a motorcycle Jan 27 in Lahore, has triggered a major row between the US and Pakistan.

Davis opened fire when the two men, who some reports now say were Pakistani intelligence operatives tailing him, came close to his car. The American has said he fired in self-defence because he thought they were robbers.

The incident led to a third death when a speeding US consulate vehicle coming to the rescue of Davis overran a motorcyclist.

US officials have threatened to cut the $1.5 billion of annual aid to Pakistan if Davis is not released, and Tuesday put bilateral contacts on hold.

The case took a dramatic turn Sunday when widow of one of the victims of the Lahore shooting, Muhammad Fahim, committed suicide, turning public opinion further against the jailed American.

The woman apparently feared that her husband’s killer would be let off by the Pakistan government.