Kerry
said he was deeply sorry for the incident. "I have come here to express
our deepest regret for those tragic events and to express the sorrow of
American people for the loss of life that has taken place," he said. He,
however, said that Davis enjoyed diplomatic immunity and Pakistani courts had
no jurisdiction to try him.
He
said Pakistan is a signatory to the Vienna Convention and under the
international law Davis will be tried in an American court.
Kerry
said, "I am not here to dictate terms. We have to focus on greater issues
that relate to Pakistan's stability.”
Kerry
said the US respects Pakistan's law and legal system and hope the issue will be
resolved soon.
According
to sources, Kerry will hold meetings with key figures in Pakistan for Davis’
early release.
Meanwhile, according to
Reuters, the Pakistani Taleban warned the government on Tuesday it would oppose
any move to release Davis.
“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,” said Azam Tariq,
spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan (Taleban movement of Pakistan).
“We will give exemplary
punishment to the killer Davis.”
On Thursday, the United
States is expected to present a petition to a Lahore court to certify that
Davis has diplomatic immunity and should be released.
The warning from the Al-Qaeda
linked Taleban, which has kept up suicide bombings to destabilize Pakistan’s
government despite several army offensives, underscores the charged atmosphere
surrounding Davis’ case.
Cash-strapped Pakistan, one
of the largest non-NATO recipients of American military aid, is loathe to risk
losing US support by keeping Davis in jail but also fears antagonizing
religious groups who see the government as a US puppet.
Jamaat-e-Islami, a religious
and political party capable of organizing large protests, accused the United
States of exerting “unprincipled and unlawful” pressure on Pakistan.
“Why is America hell bent on
trampling on Pakistani law and its judicial system? We will forcefully protest
if he is released without a court order,” Jamaat-e-Islami deputy chief Liaquat
Baluch told Reuters.
Religious parties don’t win
many votes in elections. But the government can’t afford to ignore the groups
who often seize on issues concerning the United States to promote their cause.
“Of course he (Davis) should
not be released. He has committed a crime and he should be punished. He doesn’t
have immunity,” said Yahya Mujhaid, a spokesman for Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which was
blacklisted by the UN over its links to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant
group blamed for the 2008 attack on Mumbai. It denies it has links to the LeT.
“If he is released, we will
register our protest but in a peaceful way. We will hold rallies ... Not only
us, the whole of Pakistan will protest against any such move.”
Some members of the Pakistani
media, which has in the past accused US aid workers of being spies, have also
called for Davis to be put on trial in Pakistan.
“Davis is not a diplomat but
a US spy,” the Taleban spokesman said.
Supporters of the slain men
have held protests and burned US flags. In addition to the two men Davis shot,
a third man was killed when a US Consulate vehicle, apparently trying to rescue
Davis, struck and killed a passerby.
Punjab Law Minister Rana
Sanaullah said the provincial government sent the US Consulate reminders that
it should hand over the car and the driver who killed the man.
