ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON – As the State Department on Saturday said talks between the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan, due later this month had been postponed, US President Barack Obama called his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Ali Zardari and discussed with him the contentious issue of Raymond Davis, an American national arrested in Lahore last month for killing two Pakistanis.
President Obama made a phone call to President Zardari late on Friday night asking for Davis’ release, a diplomatic source said. Davis has been declared a member of US diplomatic staff in Islamabad enjoying immunity. He said Obama had a brief conversation with Zardari but it told a lot about the level of anxiety among the ruling circles in Washington created by the Lahore Police’s declaration on Saturday that Davis had not acted in self-defense, rather it was a “cold-blooded murder” on his part of two Pakistani citizens.
“The police declaration has left only one option as viable now for Americans to secure Davis’ release and that is of diplomatic immunity by Pakistan and that is what President Obama asked for and before him US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and other officials,” the source said. A senior Pakistani official admitted that the stand-off between the US and Pakistan over the jailed American took an ominous turn with the Pakistani police position that Davis was responsible for “cold-blooded murder” of two Pakistani citizens.
“The US has increased its pressure and President Obama’s personal call reflects that very well,” he said. Meanwhile, the trilateral annual talks, in which ministers and other top officials outline progress on issues such as the war in Afghanistan and the campaign against extremism, and scheduled for February 23-24 in Washington, were postponed. “In light of the political changes in Pakistan and after discussions with Afghan and Pakistani officials in Washington, it was agreed to postpone the Trilateral Meeting,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in a statement.
“We look forward to convening a very productive Trilateral Meeting at the earliest opportunity,” he said, adding that Washington remains “committed to robust engagement between Afghanistan, Pakistan and the US, as we share many issues of mutual concern and benefit from being at the same table”. No new date was announced.
