Theft or espionage

The intelligence authorities must take into confidence parliament at to why did a senior grade-20 officer belonging to the Pakistan Administrative Service feel the need to steal the wallet of a member of Kuwaiti delegation in Islamabad recently thus bringing a very bad name to his country. It is also being alleged that the culprit official was on the payroll of a neighbouring country which is at a daggers drawn with Kuwait and it was at its behest that he indulged in this act as he wanted to instal or slip in an electronic device in the belongings of the Kuwaiti officials for spying purpose for getting to know what actually transpired between Pakistani and Kuwait . If this version is to be believed it makes the crime of the erring grade-20 officer more sinister. Doesn’t it amount to treason? The video clip of the incident recorded by the CCTV camera has gone viral. This incident is going to have serious ramifications. Foreign delegations frequent Islamabad for deliberating important state business. Some of the contents of these talks are always kept secret in the national interest. Who is going to trust us tomorrow ?
This issue cannot be brushed aside lightly. If the allegation that the erring official had been working as a foreign agent is proved correct it is certainly a serious thing. It means that the foreign country allegedly involved in this episode has penetrated in the ranks of our bureaucracy.
Whether it was an act of theft or espionage the officer involved in it must get his just deserts. He deserves no leniency, whatever. An example is to made of him if we are to root out acts of espionage from this country.