A top Emirati security official, known for making controversy-catching remarks on wide-ranging issues, took to Twitter to denounce Pakistanis, accusing them of being a "dangerous threat to Gulf societies".

In his recent diatribe on April 1, Lt Gen Dhahi Khalfan, who is the head of general security of Dubai, wrote in Arabic: "The Pakistanis pose a serious threat to the Gulf communities for the drugs they bring with them to our countries."

The tweet, followed by a series of similar attacks targeting Pakistanis, came in the backdrop of a drug racket being busted in Dubai. The tweet was also carrying a photo apparently showing three Pakistani smugglers, along with the drugs allegedly recovered from them.

No government data is readily available to show that Pakistani citizens have been involved in certain crimes in UAE more than immigrants belonging to other countries.

Khalfan resorted to generalising, however, asking his fellow citizens "not to employ Pakistanis". The security official, who was the head of Dubai Police Force until 2013, termed it a "national duty to stop hiring Pakistanis”.

In continuation of his diatribe, the official went on to make sweeping comparisons between Pakistanis and their arch rival Indians.

“Why are the Indians disciplined while disruption, crime, and smuggling are prevalent in the Pakistani community?” he wrote, according to uaeviral.com.

Dragging people from Bangladesh into the verbal assault, Khalfan suggested that Pakistanis should be subjected to increased inspection, similar to what Bangladeshis had to face "because of the criminal tendencies".

“We became strict with the Bengalis because of the criminal tendencies they have shown. Pakistanis must be placed under an increased level of inspection.”