A HOUSEKEEPER at a hotel in Pakistan has returned $50,000 to an absent-minded development worker who left the cash bundled in a bag in his room.
Politicians have proclaimed Essa Khan a “national hero” for his honesty and are planning to honour the hotel worker.
They hope his deeds will prove a shot in the arm for the country’s tourism industry after years in the doldrums, reminding overseas visitors of Pakistan’s traditional hospitality.
Mr Khan, who earns only 25,000 rupees (£200) a year, said he found the money when he inspected the room before another guest moved in.
It had been forgotten in the room’s safe deposit box.
“He had checked out and it was my job to check the room,” he said by telephone. “It was just there so I immediately reported it.”
Mr Khan (50) has worked for the past 20 years at the Gilgit Serena Hotel, which stands at the foot of the Karakoram mountains in northern Pakistan. He said that he was never tempted to keep the cash.
Hotel staff managed to track down the guest, who works for the Japan International Co-operation Agency, at another hotel.
Rashid Uddin, the hotel’s general manager, said the Japanese man came in the next day, and it was easy to see from the look on his face just how relieved he was.