A serving government secretary was briefly detained and questioned on Thursday after sending a mobile message to Prime Minister Balendra Shah seeking support for an ambassadorial appointment.

Krishna Hari Pushkar, a secretary at the Office of the Vice-President, was arrested and questioned by the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office before being released later that night.

Police sources said Pushkar had directly contacted the prime minister after concluding that his chances of becoming chief secretary were slim and sought assistance in securing a diplomatic posting instead.

In the message, Pushkar noted that the tenure of a government secretary is five years and said his retirement on July 8 was “certain” unless the prime minister gave special consideration to his promotion prospects.

“I saw the advertisement for ambassadorial appointments,” Pushkar wrote to the prime minister. “I respectfully request your guidance, information and necessary support in this regard.”

He also described himself as “obedient” to the prime minister and included details of his permanent address in Mahottari district.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Pushkar was detained from his residence in Kapan. Officials accused him of bypassing the administrative chain of command and directly approaching the prime minister to advance a personal interest.

Police said the questioning was carried out following instructions from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. No charges have been announced.