Faheem's wife death 'tragedy': US

WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday called the suicide of the wife of a Pakistani shot by a US official "a tragedy" but renewed calls on the country to free the American.

A US consular official, whom Pakistani police identified as Raymond Davis, was arrested on January 27 after shooting dead Mohammad Faheem and Faizan Haider, saying he acted in self-defense fearing the pair were about to rob him.

Shumaila, the wife of Faheem, took poisonous pills and died Sunday in a hospital, doctors and police said.

"We are aware of this and it is clearly a tragedy for that family," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters in Washington.

But he added: "We continue to make clear to the government of Pakistan that our diplomat has diplomatic immunity; in our view, was acting in self-defense and should be released."

Crowley said the United States raised its concerns at high levels, including during a meeting Monday between Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and the US ambassador, Cameron Munter.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also brought up the case during a weekend meeting with General Ashfaq Kayani, the head of Pakistan's powerful army, at a conference in Munich, Crowley said.

The shooting deaths of the two Pakistanis -- along with the death of a third, who was run over by a US vehicle that came to Davis' assistance -- have triggered new anger in a country where anti-US sentiment already runs high.

A Pakistani court on Thursday extended the government employee's detention for another eight days as part of a murder investigation.