Pakistan suspends bureaucrat who stole Kuwaiti delegate's wallet

Local media reports that the guilty officer had initially pleaded innocence but handed over the wallet when shown the CCTV footage.

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Days after a major embarrassment in which a bureaucrat was caught on tape pocketing a wallet of a Kuwaiti delegate, Pakistan has suspended Zarrar Haider Khan for his action.

Khan has been found guilty of stealing the wallet of a member of a visiting Kuwaiti delegation after he had forgotten it on a table. The incident took place inside the finance ministry building and caused major embarrassment to the hosts. The delegation was in Pakistan to discuss possible investment opportunities.

Soon after the said delegate realised his wallet was missing, he had lodged a complaint. Pakistani authorities had frisked all low-grade employees and all floors of the finance ministry building before discovering that it was Khan, a joint secretary in the Ministry of Industries and Production, who had made off with the wallet which contained several high denomination Kuwaiti Dinars.

Two videos of the CCTV footage which showed Khan stealing the wallet have gone viral on social media. Dawn reported that he had initially denied the allegation and only handed over the wallet when he was shown the footage which had implicated him.

Grade 20 GoP officer stealing a Kuwaiti official's wallet - the official was part of a visiting delegation which had come to meet the PM pic.twitter.com/axODYL3SaZ — omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) September 28, 2018

What has been even more embarrassing for Pakistan is that the guests have alleged they were initially not provided with Khan's identity despite them requesting for it. It was only on repeat insistance that they were assured proper action would be taken.

Local media reports have said that no police complaint has been filed as yet but an internal inquiry has been launched.