Kathmandu, June 5 -- 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" un...