Pak jails 70-yr-old Briton for trying to sneak across Pak-Afghan border to research book

LONDON - A 70-year-old British man, Nicholas Bain, accused of spying in Pakistan is being reportedly held in Peshawar Central Jail along with Taliban suspects after being arrested in a lawless tribal region, close to the border with Afghanistan.

According to the Daily Mail, Bain was arrested in the dangerous Khyber region, a stronghold for Taliban and Al Qaeda militants where kidnappings and suicide bombings are common.

Local officials initially suspected him of working for British intelligence despite being told by him that he wanted to visit Afghanistan to research a book.

Bain was arrested last week at a checkpoint 25 miles from the Afghan border after failing to produce valid travel documents, the paper said.

Foreigners need special clearance from Pakistan’s military authorities to enter Khyber and other mountainous tribal regions that border Afghanistan.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We can confirm the arrest of a British national, Nicholas Bain, in Pakistan, on August 28.We are providing consular assistance to the family.”

The British built 19th century Peshawar Central Jail currently holds almost three times its capacity of 850 prisoners. (ANI)