Raymond Allen Davis (Pak vs US)

The US says the American, 36-year-old Raymond Allen Davis, shot two Pakistanis on Jan. 27 because they were trying to rob him in the eastern city of Lahore. Washington insists his detention is illegal under international agreements covering diplomats because he was a U.S. Embassy staffer, and American officials have begun curbing diplomatic contacts and threatening to cut off billions in aid to Pakistan if he is not freed.  Pakistani leaders — loathe to incur a backlash in a public already rife with anti-U.S. sentiment — have for days avoided making definitive statements on Mr. Davis' legal status, saying the issue is up to the courts. The fact that rival political parties control the federal government and the government of Punjab province, where any trial would be held, is further complicating the Pakistani response. Mr. Davis will be held in a well-protected cell kept for special detainees, said two officials at the jail who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. Pakistani leaders may be risking anger within the population if they let Mr. Davis go. President Barack Obama has urged the Pakistan to release the US citizen Raymond Davis, involved in two persons killing in Lahore and the court has sent him jail on judicial remand. To follow the Vienna Conventions, Raymond Davis should be released as he enjoys diplomatic immunity, Obama said adding that if the diplomats start being vulnerable to prosecution, that s untenable. He said that US government will continue dialogue with the Pakistani government to get Davis release. He said that US concerned about the loss of life. We re not callous about that, but there is a broader principle at stake," Obama said. US Sen. John Kerry promised the Pakistani people Tuesday that a jailed U.S. embassy worker will be subjected to a U.S. criminal investigation if he is released by the Pakistani government. Kerry also expressed regret for the deaths of two Pakistani men in an apparent attempt to smooth over relations with the important ally in the war against extremists and al-Qaeda while still insisting that the American needs to be released. Raymond Allen Davis has been held by Pakistani authorities since he fatally shot two Pakistanis in the eastern city of Lahore on Jan. 27, and his case has become a bitter point of contention between Washington and Islamabad, whose relationship is considered key to ending the war in Afghanistan.U.S. officials have said Davis shot in self-defense when two armed men on a motorcycle tried to rob him. Pakistani police officials have said they plan to try him for murder, arguing that while the Pakistanis did have a loaded gun, there was no round in the chamber, and saying Davis shot one man as he was trying to flee. Regardless of guilt, the U.S. says the detention of Davis, a former Special Forces soldier and an embassy worker, is illegal under international agreements covering diplomats. U.S. officials have threatened to withhold billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan unless Davis is freed. A chorus of American officials have called for his release on the grounds of diplomatic immunity, including President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Kerry took a softer approach, saying that international law should not be abandoned, but also pledging that Davis would be fully investigated.