LAHORE, Pakistan — Brothers of two Pakistanis shot dead by an American rejected the idea of a financial settlement in a case straining diplomatic ties between the two counterterrorism allies, with one brother insisting Thursday that he wanted “blood for blood” - not a payoff.
A court gave Pakistan’s government three more weeks to decide whether Raymond Davis, an ex-special forces soldier, has diplomatic immunity, as the United States claims. The development Thursday came despite efforts by U.S. Sen. John Kerry to ease tensions during a visit this week.
The U.S. says Davis shot the two armed men in self-defense when they tried to rob him on Jan. 27 in the eastern city of Lahore and that he has full diplomatic immunity as an embassy staff member. Pakistani officials, contending with a public rife with anti-American sentiment, have referred the matter to the courts.
The idea of so-called blood money to settle murder cases instead of a trial is accepted in Islam and under Pakistani law, and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani raised it as a possibility in the Davis case Wednesday.
But the brothers of the dead men said they wanted Davis to be tried by the courts and dismissed any suggestion that they would take money in exchange for the 36-year-old Virginia native’s freedom.
“We only want justice. We want blood for blood and nothing else,” said Mohammed Wasim, brother to victim Mohammed Fahim. Fahim’s wife committed suicide shortly after her husband’s death, saying before succumbing to rat poison that she feared Davis would be freed.
Wasim said his family had been called by the U.S. Consulate in Lahore about arranging a meeting with Kerry, but they refused. U.S. Embassy spokesman Courtney Beale denied the Americans had tried to arrange such a gathering.
Imran Haider, brother of victim Faizan Haider, said his family had not been contacted by the U.S. but also rejected the idea of compensation.
“Our brother was killed by Raymond Davis, and we need justice,” he said in a phone interview.
A third Pakistani, bystander Ibadur Rehman, died when he was struck by an American car rushing to help Davis.Pakistani police say they want to question the people in the car. The U.S. has said little about that death.
A brother of Rehman did not rule out accepting compensation from the U.S., but said the Americans hadn’t contacted the family.
“We will come up with our reaction only when we receive any offer from America,” Adeelur Rehman said.
The Pakistanis’ deaths have spurred several rallies against Davis, many of them organized by Islamist parties and fueled by elements in Pakistan’s media. They also have given new life to conspiracy theories in Pakistan about armed American mercenaries roaming the country’s streets at will.
If Pakistan’s government releases Davis, it risks angering violent elements in its population, including the Taliban, who have threatened to attack any official involved in letting the American go. The ruling party also risks further alienating voters already unhappy with its performance.
But to keep Davis in prison is to anger the United States, which provides Pakistan with billions in aid but also needs its cooperation to take on militants who use its soil to plan attacks in Afghanistan and the West. The U.S. has begun curbing diplomatic contacts and threatened to withhold aid if Davis is not freed, with President Barack Obama stressing the importance of upholding agreements covering diplomatic immunity.
Earlier this week, a Pakistani government official, speaking anonymously because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the government would present documents to the court Thursday that indicate Davis does qualify for immunity.
But Wednesday, the recently resigned foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, told reporters his advisers had told him that Davis does not necessarily qualify for blanket protection from prosecution.
Qureshi made the comments after a meeting with Kerry, and the government asked the Lahore High Court for more time to prepare its decision. Chief Justice Ijaz Chaudhry delayed the hearing until March 14.
Davis faces potential murder charges. He is in a Pakistani jail and is on a list barring him from leaving the country, officials said.
Information for this article was contributed by Munir Ahmed and Nahal Toosi of The Associated Press.
Front Section, Pages 7 on 02/18/2011