Another US “Diplomat” Arrested (Briefly) in Pakistan

US-Pakistani relations really didn’t need this right now. Pakistan arrested–and then released, apparently because the person’s claim to have diplomatic status checked out–an American with high tech gear allegedly snooping around a nuke lab.

The American diplomat, purportedly called Matthew Bennett, was found near Fateh Jang by ISI and MI personnel who had been watching him for a while.

He was found taking photographs in an area which, according to officials and locals, served as a secret passage for the transportation of sensitive materials to the Khan Research Laboratories at Kahuta.

They found some neat toys on him, too.

Let’s see. We had the first outed CIA station chief last year. Followed by the six week confrontation over Raymond Davis, which may have resulted in the exposure of hundreds more spooky contractors. Followed by a raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound that–the Pakistanis claim, at least, took them by complete surprise. In apparent response, a second CIA station chief was outed. And now someone apparently working under diplomatic cover gets caught taking tourist photos of an passage to Pakistan’s nuclear lab?

Is someone keeping count?

So we got Osama bin Laden. And in exchange, Pakistan’s nuclear program will go completely dark?

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  1. wavpeac says:

    I was watching a special last night on Bhutto. Wondering more about why she was assasinated and “who” assasinated her. (I remember your diaries on her assasination). Wonder if finding Bin Laden lounging near a large military compound, the nuclear program, and Bhutto’s assasination are related this morning as I read this article.

  2. MadDog says:

    Speaking of Raymond Davis, from the Express Tribune:

    Davis victim: Faheem’s family found living in Toba Tek Singh

    The family of Faheem Shamshad, who was killed by United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) contractor Raymond Davis in January, was found living in a posh area of Toba Tek Singh…

    And earlier last week, again from the Express Tribune:

    Faizan’s family returns, buys house and car

    …Sources reported that the family had bought a brand new car and a house in Ferozwala area near Lahore. Ferozwala is a suburban area having farmland and expansive houses…

  3. donbacon says:

    All of Pakistan may ‘go dark’ for the U.S.

    from The Nation, Pakistan

    National sovereignty is more important than aid for us, said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to US senator John Kerry here in Islamabad on Monday.

    According to a private television channel, PM Gilani said during meeting with Senator Kerry “we will not compromise on national sovereignty at any cost and American unilateral secret operation in Abbotabad for killing Osama bin Laden has undermined our national dominion.”

  4. donbacon says:

    Kerry has “very disturbing” evidence about Pakistan.

    from the Daily Times

    Kerry said that during a visit to Khost province, located on the eastern border with Pakistan, he was briefed on Taliban safe havens just across the frontier. The safe havens, mostly in the province of North Waziristan, are used to launch attacks against American, coalition and Afghan troops. The Pakistani military has so far not gone after the safe havens.

    “Yes there are Taliban coming across the border,” Kerry said. “Yes, they are operating out of North Waziristan and other areas of the sanctuaries. And yes, there is some evidence of Pakistan government knowledge of some of these activities in ways that is very disturbing.”

  5. donbacon says:

    Pakistan is essential for the logistical support of Operation Enduring FiascoFreedom.

  6. lakezoarian says:

    I’m afraid I don’t see the connection to the bin Laden psyop. He’s been dead for ten years…

  7. lsls says:

    Don’t be surprised if their nukes are taken out…maybe by computer, maybe by other means. Pakistan has always been in BO’s crosshairs. If it were to happen now, it would be more than obvious, and the troops in Afghanistan would not get supplies. They would have to concoct a patsy story, something like…”Syria did it”, but I doubt that dog would hunt. I’m sure the pressure from India is pretty deafening, but they’ve got nukes too. (personally, I wish someone would take out the nukes in both of those countries..I’m much less worried about Iran). JMHO

    • lsls says:

      They could also say that based on super duper secret stuff they “found” at OBL’s Mansion instructed that Pakistan be retaliated against if they assisted in his demise..i.e., target the nukes..in fact, have they not already floated out a story that AQ had supposedly rigged some nuke facilities in that eventuality? My bet is it will be done, if it is done, via computer.

  8. donbacon says:

    Pakistan is mostly concerned with its arch-enemy India, which has US-abetted interests in Afghanistan on Pakistan’s western flank.

    from Reuters

    Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged sustained cross-border fire on Sunday, security officials said, a day after an Indian soldier was killed by Pakistani troops while patrolling one of the world’s most heavily guarded borders.

    The two sides exchanged small arms fire for 30 minutes early on Sunday at a border post 30 km (18 miles) from Jammu, the winter capital of the disputed Kashmir region in north India.

    from rediff news

    ISI chief warns India against strikes inside Pakistan

    Inter Services Intelligence’s powerful chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha has warned India [ Images ] that any Abbottabad-like attack by it would invite a befitting response from Pakistan.

    Pasha’s warning came as he addressed the in-camera joint session of the Senate and National Assembly held behind closed doors on Friday.

  9. lsls says:

    The elephant in the room worldwide is: Nuclear proliferation.

    That was Kerry’s big issue and BO’s as well…it is the bottom line.

    • human says:

      It was with W also. They were all consistent in their inconsistency, however.

      We reap what we sow.

  10. sadlyyes says:

    end the wars now ,bring em home,on the plane home from France sat next to 21 year old vet female Validictorian of her class,who expressed same sentiment…im too lazy to diary this flight

    • emptywheel says:

      That Pak was a bigger danger to us than Iran.

      Here’s the post. Basically, on the day he said–as part of his early presidential run–that Iran was the biggest WMD threat to the US. I pointed out they had no nukes, but Pakistan did. He assured me I didn’t have to worry about Pakistan.

      In related news, the US knows that Pak’s nuke program is surging, but we’re not supposed to talk about it.

      • scribe says:

        What people (Very Serious People, anyway) are unwilling to acknowledge is that Pakistan’s military-intelligence complex is so intertwined with the Taliban that the two are effectively one, albeit one with several factions. This is what happens when you let religious fundamentalists get deeply entrenched in your military, something the military religious freedom folks have been harping on for years here.

        And, for some reason, the nukes are always the things that most draw the fundies. See, e.g., Rocky Mountain Bible College at USAFA.

        I suppose the best reason we won’t see a Pak nuke popped off in the US of A is a direct promise somewhere along the line that such would engender the “turn your country into a glass-topped glow-in-the-dark parking lot” response. Of course, to religious fundies, that response is not a bug, it’s a feature.

  11. lsls says:

    Thought: They could also de-nuke India’s nukes and blame it on Pakistan and then de-nuke Pakistan…can’t do one without the other…I just think that is the current “goal” and why all of this is happening by way of psyops, etc., it is much bigger than AQ Borat brigade riding around on mopeds in the desert as shown on the teevee documentary on PBS. All by design. Another version of eleventy seventy dimensional chess.

  12. rugger9 says:

    It seems we have our answer (sort of) to the Q I had posed: would we get to see AQ Khan (as well as OBL’s wives) and fully debrief them? It’s NO. That’s very dangerous for everyone, since we don’t know how far AQ Khan has spread the knowledge.

    There is at least a faction in Pakistan that remains sympathetic to the Taliban / Al Qaeda. That means we will not be able to use US assets to poke around for some time. Extra toys aren’t good either, if for no other reason than that the Chinese will get access to the toys to reverse engineer them and develop countermeasures.

    The government will have a hard time reining these guys in without getting the “poodle” treatment.

    As far as the fundies go, Rapture is Saturday, and they’re trying to hurry Armageddon along in the fallacious belief they are the ones going to be saved.