In a scene straight from a Monty Python sketch, a top diplomat has been denied a high-ranking job in Saudi Arabia because his name translates as "Biggest Penis".
Akbar Zeb, a senior official in the Pakistani foreign office, had been appointed as the state's ambassador to the strictly governed middle eastern nation.
But it seems Mr Zeb's impressive political credentials were "lost in translation", after he learned the Saudi government had blocked his appointment, due to the unfortunate Arabic meaning of his name.
And staggeringly, the 55-year-old diplomat who has previously served as the ambassador to the United States, India and South Africa, has encountered the same problem before.
The Arab Times reported: "Pakistan had previously floated Zeb's name as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, only to have him rejected for the same reason."
The remarkable dispute bears an astounding similarity to the famous scene in hit Monty Python film "The Life of Brian", where Roman centurion John Cleese is unable to contain his laughter, at the thought of an Emperor named "Biggus Dickus".
The scene, which also stars Michael Palin, has been voted one of the funniest in the history of British cinema on many occasions.
Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy, and governed by strict Sharia law. The Qu'ran serves as the nation's constitution.
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