By: Ayesha Siddiqui
Jan 27: Raymond Davis, an American official, shot two youths in what he said was self-defence at Mozang Chowk in Lahore. He called for help and the second vehicle got into a fatal accident with a pedestrian and fled the scene. Police took Davis into custody and registered a case against him.
Jan 27: Reports appear in newspapers that Davis is not a diplomat and cannot carry any type of weapons. The US embassy confirms his employment as a technical adviser.
Jan 27: Raymond Davis, an American official, shot two youths in what he said was self-defence at Mozang Chowk in Lahore. He called for help and the second vehicle got into a fatal accident with a pedestrian and fled the scene. Police took Davis into custody and registered a case against him.
Jan 27: Reports appear in newspapers that Davis is not a diplomat and cannot carry any type of weapons. The US embassy confirms his employment as a technical adviser.
Jan 28: A case is registered against Davis for carrying an illegal weapon.
He is presented before the court of a judicial magistrate of Lahore Cantt and remanded in custody till Feb 3.
Jan 29: US officials claim that Davis has diplomatic status in Pakistan and refer to the Vienna Convention.
Jan 30: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephones her Pakistani counterpart and demands the release of Davis. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani does not comment on the Davis arrest until officials confirm his identity and status in Pakistan as a foreigner.
Feb 1: President Asif Ali Zardari announces that Pakistan will decide the fate of Davis while the US demands Davis is returned. The Lahore High Court issues orders to put Davis`s name on the ECL. Davis is handed over to the FIA for investigation.
Feb 2: Interior Minister Rehman Malik states that Davis holds a diplomatic passport.
Feb 3: Davis is produced before the Model Town judicial magistrate and his remand is extended till Feb 11. The US embassy states that Davis has diplomatic immunity.
Feb 6: The widow of Faheem, one of the victims, commits suicide.
Feb 7: Lahore police present a challan against Davis.
Feb 15: US Senator John Kerry arrives in Pakistan and the government tells him the court will decide whether Davis enjoys diplomatic immunity or not.
Feb 16: Shah Mehmood Qureshi says while he was the foreign minister, the US national does not enjoy full diplomatic immunity.
Feb 17: The LHC gives the government three weeks to present its version on Davis`s immunity issue. The court grants a 14-day remand of Davis in another case for possessing illegal weapon.
Feb 22: Davis starts hunger strike in prison.
Feb 24: Lahore`s session court approves a jail trial of Davis.
Feb 25: Davis refuses to receive/sign copy of his challan. He also submits a letter to the court and claims immunity under Vienna Convention 1961.
Feb 28: The court starts trial of Davis in Kot Lakhpat jail.
March 1: PPP leader Fauzia Wahab reiterates that Raymond Davis enjoys diplomatic immunity.
March 3: The court rejects the immunity petition of the accused and decides to carry on with the case.
March 8: The court hands Davis copies of the challan against him which he refuses to accept.
March 14: The foreign ministry replies to the LHC confirming that Davis has a diplomatic passport but does not state clearly if he enjoys diplomatic immunity. The court rules that Davis` immunity issue will be settled in the trial court.
March 16: A court formally charges Davis on two counts of murder at a hearing held at a prison in Lahore, according to a police official. The Punjab law minister confirms in the afternoon that the court has released Davis after the heirs accepted blood money. The court also frees the accused in the weapon case by ordering him to pay a fine of Rs20,000.
source: The daily Dawn
very nice ayesha very good reporting
unjustice with the victims family may allah bless victims soul
Thx for the timeline. Very helpful indeed. I am of the opinion that a case of spying should have been registered against Davis and also I am astonished on the fact that the judiciary had not taken any suo moto notice on his spying part.
Excellent report, covering all the major points in Raymond Davis case.