Tim King Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - A high level Pakistani diplomat has been rejected as Ambassador of Saudi Arabia because his name, Akbar Zib, equates to NSFW in Arabic. Saudi officials, apparently overwhelmed by the idea of the name, put their foot down and gave the idea of his being posted there, the kibosh.

Akbar Zib is no newcomer to politics, in fact you could say he’s a pretty big deal. This long-ranging high level diplomat has worked with some of the largest members of world governments, players charged with negotiating the outcome of the world’s current events.

He most recently served as High Commissioner Designate of Pakistan to Canada, and prior to that he was the ambassador of Pakistan to South Africa,. He also served in that capacity in Washington from 1983-87, and New Delhi from 1994-2000.

He earlier worked at the Pakistan headquarters as section officer from 1982- 83, director from 1987-94 and director-general from 2000-2003.

Miangul Akbar Zib, also whose name news agencies sometimes refer to as Zib, was born on 15 February, 1954. He holds a Masters degree.

According to the Arab Times (as reported by FP) the poor Mr. Zeb’s credentials have previously been rejected on the same basis by UAE and Bahrain (he is currently the Pakistan High Commissioner in Canada). Are foreign relations between the “brotherly Islamic countries” or any states really so dependent on misinterpretation of slang?

I wonder what would happen if Mr. NSFW became the Swedish ambassador to Islamabad. Or had NSFW ever visited Pakistan. May be that’s why Begum Abida Hussain never referred to herself as Mrs. Fakhr Zaman when she was our ambassador to the US. I guess that would also rule out sending anyone named Foqia on any diplomatic assignment in the English-speaking West. Not to mention Rabia Butt.

This one was damn hilarious, I don’t know how I am controlling the laugh out loud in fact I am not supposed to laugh after today’s blasts in Karachi.

[via Cafe Pyala, Teeth Maestro, Salem News]

Updates: Since the words aren’t suitable to be posted on website, we have censored all those words which could be embarrassing. Also our Arabic resource has criticized the story and has called it media’s deliberate attempt as there’s a big difference between “Zib” and “Zaib.” And the name is Akbar Zaib

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