President approves Sitara-e-Shujaat for Liaqat Shaheed for averting major attack

• PM Shehbaz recommended award for martyr.
• Liaqat confronted attacker and sought identification.
• Funeral held with full state honours.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the award of Sitara-e-Shujaat for Liaqat Shaheed, the civilian who sacrificed his life while stopping a suicide bomber near Kohat, in recognition of his bravery and sacrifice at the national level.

The approval was granted by the president on the recommendation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.

Paying tribute to Liaqat Shaheed, President Zardari said the brave citizen had averted a major loss of life by sacrificing himself while confronting the suicide attacker.

“Liaqat Shaheed’s courage, sense of duty and sacrifice are a shining example for the nation,” the president said, adding that the martyr displayed unmatched bravery by standing firm in front of the suicide bomber.

According to security sources, the incident took place in the inter-provincial area between Punjab’s Jand tehsil and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khushal Garh Bridge, where the attacker, belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij, was moving through fields.

Liaqat, a retired Pakistan Railways employee and local resident, stopped the suspect and asked for identification before the militant detonated explosives, resulting in the martyrdom of Liaqat and the death of the attacker.

The president said the nation saluted its brave son for his extraordinary courage and sacrifice in preventing a possible large-scale tragedy.