U.S. worker in Pakistan kept in jail
Standoff intensifies threats of reprisal
WASHINGTON – A standoff between the United States and Pakistan over a jailed American Embassy worker took an ominous turn Friday when police accused the man of “cold-blooded murder” and the U.S. responded with thinly veiled threats to cut valued aid and access for Pakistan unless he is released immediately.
The case of Raymond Allen Davis has opened one of the worst breaches in memory between the U.S. and a critical counterterrorism partner. His detention has become a point of national honor for both nations, and a rallying point for anti-American suspicion in Pakistan.
U.S. officials said they were likely to postpone an invitation to Pakistan’s foreign minister to visit Washington later this month.
Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the case is before a court, said the Obama administration is also considering a slowdown in visa processing for Pakistanis seeking to come to the U.S. That would be hugely unpopular in Pakistan, where grievance already runs high over the perception that the U.S. discriminates in granting visas to Pakistanis.
The U.S. is also weighing whether to cut back on military and educational training programs with the Pakistani armed forces, and civilian educational, scientific, cultural and local and state government exchanges, one official said.
Davis, 36, claims he shot and killed two Pakistanis on Jan. 27 because they were trying to rob him. He was arrested immediately, and has been jailed ever since despite U.S. claims that he holds diplomatic immunity from prosecution and acted in self-defense.
On Friday a Pakistani judge ordered Davis jailed an additional 14 days and police termed the incident “cold-blooded murder.” The U.S. consul general in the eastern Pakistan city of Lahore, Carmela Conroy, responded with a stern demand for his prompt release. She implied that Pakistani authorities were overlooking facts in the case, including that one of the dead men was armed, in order to make an example of Davis.
“Under the rules, he should be freed immediately,” Conroy said in a statement.
Other U.S. officials acknowledged that such a quick fix was unlikely.
Officials familiar with the administration’s strategy said the United States was treading carefully, aware that the case could destabilize Pakistan’s government.