Praise for £250 a year housekeeper after he returns $50,000

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 - rather than its recent reputation as a cradle of terrorism.

Mr Khan, who earns only 25,000 rupees ($250) 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. "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 amid breathtaking scenery at the foot of the Karakoram mountains in northern Pakistan. He added 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. The money was to fund a feasibility study into tourism projects in northern Pakistan.

Rashid Uddin, the hotel's general manager, said the Japanese man was embarrassed to learn he had lost the cash. "Even after three days he had no clue that he had left the money," he said.

"He came in the next day, and it was easy to see from the look on his face just how relieved he was."

The hotel has given Mr Khan a 10,000-rupee reward for his honesty.

The story has been taken up by politicians in a country tired of negative publicity. Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab province, has declared Mr Khan a "national hero".

"He's a humble housekeeper and we are really proud of him," he said. "This is the face of Pakistan that people don't see normally."