Govt decides to remove UK High Commissioner

Dunya News

In the videos that had gone viral, Khan was seen behaving erratically and speaking incoherently

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The government on Thursday decided to appoint new High Commissoner in UK replacing Sahibzada Ahmad Khan for behaving ‘inappropriately’ during the IPPA Awards 2018.

According to Dunya News sources, Foreign Office has decided to transfer Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK Sahebzada Ahmed Khan to another country after holding an inquiry which found that the high commissioner had broken diplomatic norms at a public event in London.

Sources further said that Johar Saleem, Naghmana Hashmi and Zaheer Janjua are being considered for the post.

Earlier in September, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had recalled high commissioner Sahebzada Ahmed Khan to Islamabad to explain his behaviour at a television awards ceremony in London after videos emerged showing him making a speech in an apparently inebriated condition.

The foreign minister had said in a tweet that he was “dismayed by the actions” of the envoy.

In the videos that had gone viral, Khan was seen behaving erratically and speaking incoherently for several minutes at the IPPA Awards 2018 ceremony held at London’s O2 arena on September 9. It was believed the high commissioner was drunk while he was on stage.

The audience was heard laughing as the envoy invites several celebrities to join him on stage. The diplomat was seen engaging in lighthearted banter with veteran actor Javed Sheikh, who had some difficulty in understanding what he was talking about.

At the time, actors such as Ahsan Khan, Sarwat Gilani and Mehwish Hayat were also on the stage. The comperes for event had been seen trying to suppress their laughter while Khan was speaking.