LAHORE/ISLAMABAD The Chief Justice of Lahore High Court Friday directed the Punjab police to arrest the driver of the US consulates vehicle which had crushed to death a Pakistani following murder of two citizens by a US national, Raymond Davis. The court passed this order on a petition moved by Ijazul Rehman, the brother of deceased Ibadur Rehman. The petitioner sought free and fair investigations into the case. The US consulates vehicle carrying two persons overran motorcyclist Ibad while rushing to help Davis who was detained after he shot down two Pakistanis at Cordoba Chowk on Jan 27. Ibad died on the spot while the jeep sped to the US consulate where the inmates are believed to have taken shelter. The court had earlier issued the same direction after counsel for the petitioner prayed that an order might be issued to the police for immediate arrest of the accused, and also for taking the US consulates vehicle into possession. The judge held that it was a sensitive matter on which courts preferred to exercise restraint. The court summoned assistant advocate general and directed him to ensure compliance with the order. In the written order, the CJ held: It is duty of the police to investigate the case in fair and impartial manner and bring on record and consider evidence which they wish to rely on. He further ordered: The investigation officer is directed to record the statements of the complainant (Ijazul Rehman) and eyewitnesses, provided that the investigation of the case has not so far been completed, and proceed with the matter in accordance with the law. With these directions the CJ disposed of the petition. The petitioner submitted that on Jan 27, he along with his brother Sajjadul Rehman was going towards Jail Road on a bike while his brother Ibad was riding on another bike. He said all of a sudden, a Land Cruiser in which two foreigners one driver and another man were riding hit Ibads two-wheeler, killing him on the spot. He alleged that the accused deliberately hit his brother with intention to kill him. After killing him, the accused sped away. He said the Lytton Road police registered the FIR but so far no progress has been made to trace out the accused or to take the vehicle into possession. He said the police were registering neither his statement, nor the statements of other eyewitnesses. Petitioners counsel Asad Manzoor said police were deliberately reluctant to arrest or identify the accused. He said the vehicle used in the incident was parked in the US consulate and direction be issued to the police to impound it and arrest the accused. Agencies add: US Embassy spokeswoman Courtney Beale on Friday declined to comment on the order other than saying the vehicular incident is under investigation. Meanwhile, Reluctance of the US Embassy in sharing details of its response to the Punjab governments efforts regarding arrest of the driver of a US vehicle that struck and killed Ibadur Rehman on January 27 in Lahore has further made Raymond Davis status mysterious. We can not share these details as the matter is under investigation, Acting Spokesperson of the Embassy, Courtney Beale, told The Nation on Friday when asked about the US Embassys response to the LHCs directives to the Punjab government. These developments have added to anxiety for the foreign policy experts who appeared mind-boggled over the silence of the US Embassy. How come the US authorities, which have been claiming diplomatic immunity for Davis and rejected the judicial process being followed in Pakistan, have suddenly turned mindful to the same judicial process? credible diplomatic sources observed. In background discussions they viewed the changed US positions as part of any great deception that may lead to major surprises in the coming days. Sudden US silence over the issue may have to do with some agreement with the federal government of Pakistan, the sources presumed, adding long silence of Foreign Office over certifying status of Raymond Davis suggested that the government of Pakistan was looking for some opportunities. They were of the view that Foreign Office should not have taken too long in certifying the diplomatic status; a matter, which they opined, only needed three to four days. Meanwhile, the legal wing of the Foreign Office is still struggling in collecting details about Raymond Davis so as to form opinion over his diplomatic status. The Lahore High Court has given Foreign Ministry three weeks time to answer on the diplomatic status of the arrested American national who has been remanded since his arrest following the killing of two persons in Lahore on January 27. The court has ordered the Foreign Ministry to declare whether or not the US citizen Raymond Davis is entitled to diplomatic immunity under the Geneva Convention. Former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had publicly declared that Raymond Davis had no blanket immunity, adding this was his considered opinion that was based on his meetings with relevant quarters.