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?
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.
I’ve always pointed my elbow Musharraf’s way…
Then again, this American “diplomat” fared much better than this Saudi one.
“Is someone keeping count?”
Looks like you are. Thanks!
Speaking of Raymond Davis, from the Express Tribune:
And earlier last week, again from the Express Tribune:
All of Pakistan may ‘go dark’ for the U.S.
from The Nation, Pakistan
Who’s winning? I’m so confused.
Me. Remember when I told then Presidential candidate Mark Warner he had to be most worried about Pakistan? He thought I was just a DFH blogger.
Only, I may get nuked for my efforts, so it’s rather pyrrhic of a victory.
Worried in what way about Pak? That O will launch an even greater & overt war against Pak, or that Pak is a danger to the U.S.
WHO s on first etc
Sadly,
Absolutely on of the best comic routines ever. Good call.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfmvkO5x6Ng
Kerry has “very disturbing” evidence about Pakistan.
from the Daily Times
Pakistan is essential for the logistical support of Operation Enduring
FiascoFreedom.I’m afraid I don’t see the connection to the bin Laden psyop. He’s been dead for ten years…
To stir the pot..
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
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.
Pakistan is mostly concerned with its arch-enemy India, which has US-abetted interests in Afghanistan on Pakistan’s western flank.
from Reuters
from rediff news
Pakistan, India, and the US need to be grounded.
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.
It was with W also. They were all consistent in their inconsistency, however.
We reap what we sow.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.