Former Afghanistan minister with Oxford engineering degree spotted delivering pizza in Germany

Former Afghan minister Syed Ahmad Shah Saadat has been spotted delivering pizza in Germany

Syed Ahmad Shah Saadat reportedly holds two master’s degrees in communication and electronic engineering from Oxford University (Facebook/Syed Ahmad Shah Saadat)

A former minister in Afghanistan has now reportedly taken up a job delivering food in Germany.

Syed Ahmad Shah Saadat, Afghanistan’s former minister of information and communications, was spotted by a local journalist in Germany’s Leipzig city when he was on his way to make a delivery on his bicycle.

Mr Saadat had joined the government of the now-exiled president Ashraf Ghani as a cabinet minister in 2018. After serving for two years, however, Mr Saadat resigned and left the country for Germany last December.

The former minister began working as a delivery executive for food delivery company Livrando after his money ran out, reported Sky News. Mr Saadat said his story should “serve as a catalyst to change the way high-ranking people live their lives in Asia and the Arab world”.

Photos of Mr Saadat have gone viral on social media amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country once the US announced it was pulling out. Mr Ghani had abruptly left the country just before the capture of national capital Kabul and is now reportedly in the UAE.

Reacting to the situation back home, Mr Sadaat said he never thought a civilian government would fall so fast.

He reportedly holds two master's degrees in communication and electronic engineering from Oxford University. With a career spanning over 23 years, Mr Sadaat has worked with at least 20 companies in 13 countries, including Saudi Arabia.

Prior to his stint as a minister, he served as a technical adviser to Afghanistan’s communication and information technology ministry from 2005 to 2013. He was also the chief executive officer of Ariana Telecom in London from 2016 to 2017.