PAK CALLS BACK ENVOY TO UK OVER ‘ERRATIC BEHAVIOUR’

ISLAMABAD : Pakistan’s envoy to the UK has been called back 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.

Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi recalled high commissioner Sahebzada Ahmed Khan, a career diplomat who did a brief stint as vice-consul in Pakistan’s erstwhile consulate in Mumbai during 1992-93, and tweeted he was “dismayed by the actions” of the envoy.

In the videos that have gone viral, Khan can be 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 is believed he was drunk while he was on stage, Pakistani media reported.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Foreign Office said it had received news through electronic and social media regarding the “recent incident involving our high commissioner in London”. It said the matter was discussed with the foreign minister, who had sought a written explanation from the envoy.

“The foreign minister has called him to the headquarters for explanation as well,” the statement added.

A day later, Qureshi took to Twitter to reiterate the Foreign Office’s position. “I am dismayed by the actions of our high commissioner to the UK and have asked him to return to Pakistan and provide an explanation for his behaviour at the IPPA awards held in London,” Qureshi tweeted.