Another US embassy employee held in Pakistan after road accident

Pakistani police arrested a US embassy employee after his vehicle hit and seriously injured a motorcyclist in the federal capital, posing a fresh challenge for bilateral ties that are already under strain over the arrest of a CIA contractor on charges of shooting and killing two men.

Maqbool Ahmed was "critically injured" when the US embassy vehicle hit his motorcycle in Blue Area, a commercial district of Islamabad, police said.

Ahmed's wife sustained minor injuries while his child escaped unhurt.

Police arrested the driver of the US embassy vehicle and took him to Kohsar police station, officials said.

US embassy spokesperson Alberto Rodriguez confirmed the incident and said that the mission was "working with Pakistani police to resolve the matter".

He said the driver of the vehicle involved in the incident was an American employee of the embassy.

Relations between Pakistan and the US plunged to a new low after police arrested CIA contractor Raymond Davis in Lahore in January after he gunned down two armed men he claimed were trying to rob him.

Pakistan's top leadership, fearful of a backlash due to rising anti-American sentiments, have rebuffed repeated US demands for Davis to be freed on grounds of diplomatic immunity and said his case will be decided by the courts.

Police have rejected Davis's claim of acting in self-defence and booked him for murder.