Court rejects US national's bail plea

Aaron Mark DeHaven exits an APC with handcuffs as he arrives to appear before a court in Peshawar February 26, 2011. PHOTO: REUTERS

PESHAWAR: A court in Peshawar on Monday rejected the bail plea filed by Aaron Mark DeHaven, an American national arrested on Friday after he outstayed his Pakistani visa.

On Saturday a court remanded DeHaven in custody for 14 days and on Monday, a magistrate rejected defence lawyer Sardar Raza’s argument that he should be freed on bail because he had no prior criminal record.

“The bail application of Aaron Mark DeHaven has been rejected because he had no legal documents,” public prosecutor Javed Ali told AFP in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

DeHaven was taken into custody from the Falcon Complex, a residential area in Peshawar.

Police say his Pakistani visa had expired in October, and that he was working for security contractor Catalyst Services, providing security and accommodation to foreigners working on development projects in the region.

Express 24/7 however reported that DeHaven told the court he owns a construction company and came to Pakistan on a business visa.

Peshawar police are carrying out raids to arrest associates DeHaven to include them in the investigations into the case.

Hashmat Khan, a police official, has also quoted DeHaven as saying he had travelled to Peshawar to meet a Pakistani girl.

DeHaven will now be produced before the court on March 14.

Relations between Pakistan and the United States are already strained over the arrest last month of a CIA contractor identified as Raymond Davis, who has been charged with murder for shooting dead two men in Lahore.

The US embassy in Islamabad said Saturday that consular representatives had met DeHaven, “as they would with any private American citizen”.

“We appreciate the cooperation of the Pakistani authorities and respect the Pakistani legal process,” an embassy statement had said.

A Swiss citizen was also taken into custody yesterday for travelling in Balochistan without permission in an area where a No Objection Certificate is necessary for any foreigner to travel.