Pakistani schoolboy who died stopping bomber recommended for award

Aitzaz Hasan nominated by police chief of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where bombing attempt was foiled by the 15-year-old student.

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PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN // A schoolboy who died stopping a suicide bomber from attacking his school has been recommended for Pakistan’s highest civilian award.

Aitzaz Hasan, 15, tackled the bomber as he tried to enter a government school in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this week. Aitzaz and the bomber died but no other students or staff were hurt.

“Though I lost my sweet son I have no regret for what he has done. He has done a heroic job and I am proud of his bravery,” Aitzaz’s father, Mujahid Ali, said.

Yesterday, the provincial police chief Nasir Khan Durrani nominated Aitzaz for Pakistan’s top civilian award.

The boy’s parents said no government official or politician had contacted them.

Aitzaz’s father said authorities could rename the school after him and officially declare him a martyr, a designation that would bring some financial relief to his family.

His mother, brother, and two sisters were mourning Aitzaz but took some comfort in knowing that he had saved many others, the father said.

The number of suicide bomb attacks in Pakistan rose by more than a third to 46 last year, according to a study released this week by the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies.

The same study said that sectarian attacks were becoming more frequent and more deadly. Many Pakistani politicians maintain ties with sectarian groups in return for support at election time.

* Reuters