A civilian who was killed while stopping a suicide bomber near Kohat has been posthumously awarded the Sitara-e-Shujaat on the recommendation of the prime minister, with President Asif Ali Zardari approving the honour in recognition of his bravery.
According to an official statement issued on Wednesday, the award was granted for Liaqat Shaheed’s “exceptional courage and sacrifice” during a militant incident in which he intercepted a suspected suicide attacker, preventing what authorities described as a potential mass-casualty attack.
Officials said the incident occurred in the inter-provincial area between Punjab’s Jand tehsil and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khushal Garh Bridge, where the attacker was reportedly moving through fields. Liaqat, a retired Pakistan Railways employee and local resident, confronted the suspect and asked for identification before the attacker detonated explosives.
Both the civilian and the attacker were killed in the explosion, security sources confirmed.
President Zardari, paying tribute, stated that the deceased displayed “remarkable courage and sense of duty,” adding that his actions helped avert a major loss of life. The presidency said Liaqat’s sacrifice would be remembered as an example of civilian bravery in the face of terrorism.