Former Afghan cabinet minister now delivers pizza in Germany

Hyderabad: Once surrounded by security personnel, former Afghanistan cabinet minister Syed Ahmad Shah Sadat is now delivering pizza on a bicycle. The former communications and technology minister in Ashraf Ghani’s government, came into the limelight as his pictures as a delivery man floated around on social media.

According to media reports, Sadat holds two master’s degrees in communication and electronic engineering from Oxford University. He now lives in Leipzig, in Germany where he arrived in December last year.

Sadat joined Ashraf Ghani’s cabinet in 2018 and became the communications and technology minister. However, after having differences with Ghani, he quit his job in 2020, left Afghanistan, and went to Germany.

Speaking to Sky News, Sadat confirmed that the photos are his. He reportedly ran out of money and subsequently started working as a food delivery professional for the German company ‘Livrando.’

Furthermore, Sadat told Sky News that his story will serve as a “catalyst” to change the way high-ranking people live their lives in Asia and the Arab world.

Sadat reportedly worked for 23 years in the field of communications with more than 20 companies, in 13 countries, including Aramco and the Saudi Telecom Company in Saudi Arabia.

Sadat also served as a technical advisor to Afghanistan’s communication and information technology ministry from 2005 to 2012. Additionally, he worked as CEO of Ariana Telecom in London from 2016 to 2017.

Reacting to the recent political upheaval in Afghanistan, Sadat told Sky News that he never expected the civilian government to fall so quickly.