PESHAWAR, Feb 26: Aaron Mark DeHaven, a US national arrested on charges of illegal stay here, was sent to prison on a 10-day judicial remand by a court till March 7. The accused, running a private company Catalyst Service (Pvt) Limited, also moved a bail petition before the court stating that he entered Pakistan on a valid visa permit and had also applied to the government for extension in his visa, which expired on Oct 23 last year.

Mr DeHaven, who hails from the US state of Virginia, was arrested a day earlier by law-enforcement agencies when he left his residence in the Falcon Residential Complex on the University Road in a vehicle, which he claimed belonged to his neighbour.

In the case registered at University Town Police Station he has been charged under section 14 of the Foreigners Act, 1946, carrying maximum sentence of three years imprisonment with fine.

Advocate Fakhr-e-Alam Jhagra submitted bail petition on behalf of Mr DeHaven requesting that he may be set free on bail as he had been running his private business here and there was no apprehension of his becoming an absconder. Dawn

“The Foreigners Act mostly deals with illegal entry into Pakistan and the case of my client was strong for bail as he entered here on a valid visa,” Mr Jhagra told .

The accused, brought to the court in an armoured personnel carrier (APC) amid extraordinary security measures, told the magistrate that he had been on work visa and had also applied for its extension. When he asked what the court could do for him in that regard, the magistrate replied that the court had to go by the law and it was not empowered to allow any extension in his visa.

His counsel informed the court that he had converted to Islam three years ago, had married a Pakistani girl and he now carried the name of “Ahmad Haroon”.

It is learnt that the firm of Mr DeHaven was registered here under the Companies Ordinance in 2009 with him as the chief executive and another person, Michael Chang, as its director.

Following his visa expired in Oct 2010 he applied for its extension through the Board of Investment (BoI), Prime Minister Secretariat. On Nov 11, 2010, a letter was sent by an official, Muhammad Bilal, from the BoI wherein he was informed that his visa had already been cancelled on Mar 29, 2010, due to administrative reasons, therefore, his case could not be proceeded. Later, he again moved an application on Dec 3, and subsequently another application on Jan 11.