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PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A Pakistani court on Saturday sent another American national to jail, a day after he was detained in the northwestern city of Peshawar for overstaying his visa, a government lawyer said.
The arrest of the man identified as Aaron Mark DeHaven came as ties between the US and its nuclear-armed ally Pakistan are already strained over the detention of a CIA contractor, Raymond Davis, charged with killing two Pakistanis in what he says was self-defense on Jan. 27.
The United States says Davis has diplomatic immunity.
Police presented DeHaven in a local court on Saturday and he was then remanded for 14 days, lawyer Javed Ali told Reuters.
“He told the court that he had come to Pakistan on a business visa which expired in October last year and that he has already applied for the extension,†Ali said.
“He said that his visa has not been renewed after which the court sent him to jail. He has been charged under a foreign act, that could result in his deportation,†he said.
A US Embassy spokesperson said on Friday they had seen media reports about DeHaven’s arrest and were trying to arrange consular access through the Pakistan government.
The case of Davis, 36, arrested last month, has inflamed the already uneasy alliance between the United States and Pakistan, who are supposed to be united in the face of Islamist militants waging a war in Afghanistan.
Davis, a former US special forces officer, has been charged with double-murder and faces possible execution.
Davis shot dead two men in the eastern city of Lahore last month. He said he acted in self-defense and the United States says he has diplomatic immunity and should be repatriated.
A Pakistan court on Friday adjourned Davis’ trial until March 3, dismissing US demands for his release.
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