THE US national arrested at Karachi airport on Monday is certainly eligible for an award for sheer idiocy. In this global climate of hyper-security, particularly in terms of planes and airports, he was stopped as he was about to check in for a flight to Islamabad. During the routine security sweep, it was found that he was carrying 15 bullets of the 9mm calibre, a magazine, three knives and sundry equipment that the police believe included spy cameras and other gadgets. The FBI has confirmed that the gentleman works for it and was in Pakistan to work with the defence attaché’s office at the US embassy in Islamabad. And while it is in no way remarkable that an FBI employee should be armed to the teeth, it is quite beyond belief that he should be thus equipped when about to enter an airport to board a flight destined for what is possibly the country’s most heavily fortified city.

The man in question was granted bail by a Karachi court yesterday, and a US State Department spokesperson said that Washington is working closely with Pakistan to resolve the matter. However, the case underscores once again the problems that are created as a result of the US’s cagey approach regarding its operatives in Pakistan. It is essential that it share with Pakistan the details of who is being sent, and for what purpose. This would reduce the risk of embarrassment. We would have thought that the Raymond Davis debacle would have forced the American administration, particularly its intelligence agencies, to learn this lesson in no uncertain terms. Clearly, that has not been the case. While the US routinely decries the ‘anti-American’ sentiments that are held by many in Pakistan, it forgets that it is incidents such as this that partially fuel them. This is nothing like the stand-off that was created as a result of Mr Davis’s actions; but to many in Pakistan, the distinction may not be clear enough.