Pakistani bureaucrat suspended for stealing Kuwaiti delegate’s wallet
Karachi: A Pakistani bureaucrat who was caught on camera on Friday, while stealing a Kuwaiti delegate’s wallet has been suspended. Zarrar Haider Khan, who is the joint secretary of the Ministry of Industries and
Production and a BS-20 officer of the elite Pakistan Administrative Service cadre, has reportedly been suspended from service on disciplinary grounds, according to a Dawn.com report. The incident took place when a
delegation from Kuwait was on a visit to Pakistan for a joint ministerial commission meet.
In the six-second leaked video clip, the official is seen lifting the wallet from the table and putting it in his own pocket after the Kuwaiti delegates and other officials leave the hall after the meeting. The issue came to
light when one of the members of the Kuwaiti delegation complained about his missing wallet. A thorough search was conducted in the ministry along with an interrogation of all the employees. Even the lower-grade
officials were questioned as well as physically searched, but nothing was found.
Later, on examining the CCTV footage, it was found that the theft was committed by the senior official. The video, posted on Twitter by Pakistan-based journalist Omar R Quraishi, has gone viral with more than 1,100
retweets and 1,700 likes. The officer initially denied any involvement but produced the wallet after he was shown the footage.
When the Kuwaiti officials were informed of the recovery of his wallet, the delegation asked the authorities to provide them with the identification of the culprit. The Pakistani officials initially showed reluctance and
assured the guests that legal action against the person. The sources, according to local media, said it was on the insistence of the angry delegates that Pakistani officials revealed the individual’s identity and shared
the CCTV footage.
There is no complaint registered with the police so far. Ministry Sources have said that an internal inquiry will be initiated against the bureaucrat and further action will be taken.
