Pakistani father hails teenage son for stopping suicide bomber

Peshawar: The father of a Pakistani teenager killed after tackling a suicide bomber on Thursday hailed his son for saving “hundreds” of lives through his bravery.

Aitzaz Hassan, aged around 15, died in hospital after stopping the bomber, who blew himself up, at the gates of his school in the northwestern district of Hangu on Monday.

His father Mujahid Ali Bangash, 55, said he felt not sadness but pride at his son’s death.

“Aitzaz has made us proud by valiantly intercepting the bomber and saving the lives of hundreds of his fellow students,” he said.

“I am happy that my son has become a martyr by sacrificing his life for a noble cause.”

Bangash works in the UAE and was only able to reach Ibrahimzai village, which lies in an area of Hangu dominated by Shiite Muslims, the day after his son’s funeral.

“Many people are coming to see me but if they try to express sympathy, I tell them to congratulate me instead on becoming the father of a martyr,” he said.

“I will be even more than happy if my second son also sacrifices his life for the country.”

Police official Shakirullah Bangash said that Aitzaz intercepted the bomber some 150 metres away from the main gate of the school, which has around 1,000 students.

There were said to be about 2,000 students at Aitzaz’s school at the time of the attack, he added.

Despite the pleas of his fellow students, he decided to confront and capture the bomber who then detonated his vest, his cousin told the BBC.

News of Hassan’s bravery also led to an outpouring of tributes on social media.

There have been calls for him to receive the army’s highest honour awarded to those who have sacrificed their life for their country, though it is unclear if he would be qualified to receive it as a civilian.

“We the citizens believe that State of Pk must award Nishan-i-Haider to Pk’s brave son Shaheed Aitezaz,” journalist Nasim Zehra tweeted on Thursday.

Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, tweeted: “Hangu’s shaheed (martyr) Aitzaz Hasan is Pakistan’s pride. Give him a medal at least. Another young one with heart-stopping courage #AitzazBraveheart.”

Hassan’s cousin Mudassir Bangash described him as an accomplished student who excelled in all extra-curricular activities.

“My cousin sacrificed his life saving his school and hundreds of students and school fellows. Aitzaz was a little plump and we used to call him pehlwan (wrestler),” he told AFP.

“My cousin wanted to become a doctor but it was not God’s will.”

Aitzaz’s friends had urged him not to confront the suicide bomber but he ignored their pleas and decided to confront the man with the intention of halting him.

“So he told them ‘I’m going to stop him. He is going to school to kill my friends’. He wanted to capture this suicide bomber. He wanted to stop [him]. Meanwhile the suicide bomber blasted himself which resulted in the death of my cousin,” Bangash told the BBC.

According to Bangash, people in the area would like to see the government give Aitzaz an award to recognise his bravery, and compared him with celebrated Pakistani education campaigner Malala Yousafzai — a comparison being echoed across social media.

On Twitter, users are paying tribute to Aitzaz using the hashtags #onemillionaitzaz and #AitzazBraveheart echoing the language used online around figures such as Malala and the Delhi rape victim, whose death galvanised Indian public opinion and prompted changes in rape laws there.

Hangu borders Orakzai tribal region, one of Pakistan’s seven lawless tribal districts on the Afghan border considered to be the hub of Taliban and Al Qaida-linked militants.

The district has a history of sectarian violence and was declared a “sensitive region” during the month of Muharram.

Pakistan is rife with sectarian clashes, with militant groups linked to Al Qaida and the Taliban often attacking gatherings by Shiites, who constitute some 20 per cent of the country’s population.

The incident took place on Monday in Ibrahimzai, a Shia-dominated region of Hangu, in north-western Pakistan. There were almost 2,000 students in attendance at the time of the attack, media reports say.