Daily Times

The mystery shrouding the kidnapping of Warren Weinstein, 63, is becoming even more cryptic as no claims or demands have been made in the last six days since the incident took place on August 13. Weinstein was the country director for US-based consultancy J E Austin, which works on development projects in the tribal belt. He was abducted in the pre-dawn hours on Saturday from his residence in Model Town, just two days before he was due to return to the US after five years. Mr Weinstein had hired private guards for his security. The provincial government and the police have not yet come up with any clue about the abductors or their motives. In the absence of any claims of responsibility and/or ransom or other demands, everything has been left to speculations as to what may have happened to the American citizen. If we follow the assumption that some group of terrorists has kidnapped him then this raises the question what Mr Weinstein had been doing that could have led to terrorists abducting him.

The incident reflects the increasingly precarious security situation of Americans working in Pakistan. The widespread anti-US sentiments and the prevailing tension in the relations between Pakistan and the US are speedily changing the realities on the ground. The hostility is increasing and foreigners, Americans in particular, may be under immense security threat in Pakistan. The whereabouts of the Swiss couple that was abducted from Balochistan last month have also not been traced so far.

Weinstein’s life may be in danger. He is in his 60s. He might be facing some health problems and need medical aid. The FBI, US embassy officials and Pakistan’s security agencies are working together, scrambling for leads on Mr Weinstein to trace his abductors and recover him. With the kind of resources the FBI has at its disposal, it may be possible to gauge whether the incident is political or criminal activity. Weinstein’s abduction from a city like Lahore also puts a question mark on the performance of our security and intelligence agencies. Despite awareness of the presence of a high-profile American in Model Town, a target of blasts in the recent past, they had left the area unguarded. We hope that Weinstein returns safely. *