Pak hero still in MBS mind

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has called for a health centre to be made in the hometown of a Pakistani hero who saved 14 lives during the floods in Jeddah in 2009, Arab News reported on Monday, citing the state Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

As per the SPA, the centre is to be made in the hometown of martyred Farman Ali Khan in Khyber Pakthunkhwa. The crown prince issued the directives during his visit to Pakistan.

According to the Arab News, during floods in November 2009, Khan secured a rope to his waist and jumped into the water to rescue people. He was able to save 14 persons but drowned when he attempted to rescue the 15th individual.

After his death, Khan was posthumously awarded the ‘King Abdul Aziz Medal of the First Order’ by the Saudi government as well the Pakistani Tamgha-i-Shujaat (the highest civil award for bravery) by the president at the time, Asif Ali Zardari.

The report quoted an account executive in Jeddah, Rania Khaled, as saying that Khan had displayed a "rare act of heroism". “He didn’t pause to think of where these people came from or their nationality — all he cared about was that everyone survived the terrible flood. As a result, he lost his life and that’s what makes his tale so heroic. He cared for humanity, not just his own well-being and safety.

“He set a very high example of what a human should aspire to be. Your background, race and nationality shouldn’t matter; what matters is that we all stand together and help each other. I think if people lived with a similar mindset to that of Khan, the world would be a better place,” she said.

According to SPA, a street in Jeddah was also named after Khan. In an Arab News report published on Monday, Khan's daughters, Zubaida, Madeeha and Javeriah, said their father would always be alive in their memory. While speaking to the news agency from Swat, they said their father was a "mild-mannered family man who loved to joke and lived to help others".

Taking to Twitter, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud — the senior adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia — shared the news and said Khan was a "true hero" adding that his sacrifice was a "touchstone of Saudi-Pakistani brotherhood".