Dubai, Apr 4 (Zee News): Highlighting a recent increase in the number of Pakistanis peddling drugs into Dubai, a high-ranking Emirati security official has said that members of the Gulf communities are under serious threat.

Security officials in Dubai have reportedly uncovered several drug rackets either being operated within Dubai or which target people in the city at large from headquarters elsewhere. The role of Pakistanis in trafficking drugs is believed to be alarmingly high, prompting Lt Gen Dhahi Khalfan - head of general security in Dubai - to issue a stern warning on Twitter. "The Pakistanis pose a serious threat to the Gulf communities for the drugs they bring with them to our countries," he wrote in Arabic on Twitter, adding a photo of three Pakistanis and the drugs they were allegedly trafficking.

Local media reports say that Lt Gen Khalfan has also urged people in Dubai not to employ Pakistanis, going to the extent of saying it is a 'national duty to stop hiring them.'A website called uaeviral.com even quoted him as saying that while Indians are disciplined, Pakistanis coming into Dubai are prone to crime and smuggling. This statement though could not be independently verified.

Nonetheless, what Lt Gen Khalfan himself has put on social media has angered many in Pakistan. The official has been accused of rampant generalisation and also slammed for calling for a greater level of inspection of Pakistanis in UAE.