Pakistan defence photos found in US official’s camera

ISLAMABAD - Prosecutors have recommended registering an espionage case against US official Raymond Davis, who shot dead two Pakistanis in Lahore, after police retrieved from his camera photographs of some sensitive areas and defence installations, including those of army bunkers on the eastern border with India.

Raymond Davis was arrested for fatally shooting two Pakistani motorcyclists in a busy marketplace of Lahore Jan 27.

Keeping in view the nature of the case it is strongly recommended that a case of espionage be registered against Davis, the prosecution branch of the Punjab police has written in an official letter to the investigation branch.

During the course of investigation, police retrieved photographs of some sensitive areas and defence installations from Daviss camera, a source told The Express Tribune.

Photos of the strategic Balahisar Fort, the headquarters of the paramilitary Frontier Corps in Peshawar and of Pakistan Armys bunkers on the eastern border with India were found in the camera, the source was quoted as saying.

A digital camera, a pistol and a phone tracker were recovered from Davis after his arrest.

The source said that the Punjab government considers Davis a security risk after the recovery of the photos of sensitive installations.

The US has scaled up pressure on Pakistan for the release of Raymond Davis by suspending bilateral engagements. The US insists that Davis enjoys diplomatic immunity.

Diplomatic sources has said the dispute could impact three major events planned this year — President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to Washington, the next round of US-Pakistan strategic dialogue and trilateral talks involving Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US.

An official told the daily that Davis’s name did not figure on a list of US diplomats presented by the US embassy to the ministry of foreign affairs Jan 25.

However, his name figures in another list submitted by the embassy to the ministry just a day after the Lahore shooting.