US consular employee faces charges of shooting two men to death in Pakistan

Pakistan will pursue murder charges against a United States consular employee suspected of shooting two armed men during a possible robbery attempt, a top prosecutor said yesterday, as protesters called for the American to be severely punished.

The killings on Thursday have attracted intense media coverage in Pakistan, and the government - viewed by critics as subservient to the US - will be under pressure to allow the law to run its course.

Many Pakistanis regard the US with suspicion or enmity because of its occupation of neighbouring Afghanistan and regular missile attacks against militant targets in Pakistan's north-west.

In a sign of the political sensitivities surrounding the case, interior minister Rehman Malik was asked by a lawmaker in parliament whether he was trying to set the American free. He answered: "I will never abet a criminal."

A third Pakistani was killed following the shootings when he was hit by a US vehicle rushing to aid the American, who was also in a car, according to police. Officers have said that driver could also face charges.

Police officer Umar Saeed said the American, who has not been named by US authorities, had told officers he had withdrawn money from a cash machine shortly before the incident and was acting in self-defence. Other Pakistani officers have said the men were likely robbers, were on a motorbike and both were carrying pistols.

Rana Bakhtiar, deputy prosecutor for Punjab, said the state would pursue murder charges.

Mr Bakhtiar spoke after the American appeared in a Lahore court, where judges ordered him to remain in police custody for six days. Police will now investigate the case before filing it with the court, which will then charge him.

The US embassy has not said what position the man held at the consulate in Lahore, why he was armed or whether he qualifies for diplomatic immunity. Under international conventions, diplomats are generally free from prosecution, but the level of immunity varies as to what job they do.

Western diplomats travel with armed guards in much of Pakistan.Lahore has seen frequent terrorist bombings and shootings over the last two years, though the city's small expatriate population has not been directly targeted.

The US embassy confirmed in a statement that a consulate staffer "was involved in an incident yesterday that regrettably resulted in the loss of life." The US was working with Pakistanis to "determine the facts and work toward a resolution", it said.

The issue of American diplomats or their security details carrying weapons inside Pakistan was a controversial subject last year among some politicians and sections of the media worried about the country's sovereignty. They were frequently presented as a threat to ordinary Pakistanis.

"The Americans feel they can kill any Pakistani they want, because the blood of Pakistanis is cheap for the Americans," said Shireen Mazari, a right-wing commentator.