Pakistani's President Asif Ali Zardari is at the centre of a new row as officials at Paris Airport confiscated part of his luggage. The offending item, a large bowling ball with the initials of the captain of the bowling team, Bashaar Omar Mohammed Bari, was mistaken by overzealous French security officials for an incendiary device.
Zardari said "This bowling ball was supposed to be a present to my friend David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to show him that my country harbours no grudge against him for his despicable lies about Pakistan being an exporter of terrorism."
Part of the mistake seems to stem from the fact that the President's luggage contained documents which referred to the purpose of the ball being for "blowing up David Cameron".
Zardari said "This is a mis-translation. The document says that the ball is for playing bowling with David Cameron".
The President is visiting European capitals as part of his effort to show his country in a positive light after recent allegations leaked on the Internet suggested that his security services have been helping the Taliban, allegations which are strenuously denied in Pakistan.
