PM Shehbaz Sharif approved the Tamgha-e-Shujaat civil award for Faisal Baloch, the heroic driver who towed the smoking tanker out of a populated area in Quetta.
Reports in local media said that the heroic tanker driver who saved countless lives met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s house in Islamabad.
The Prime Minister said it was a pleasure to meet Faisal and nominate him for the Tamgha-e-Shujaat Prize for his act of bravery. He called him a real hero as he risked his own life to save the lives of many others.
Baloch was previously presented with a shield, certificate and monetary award at Army Corps Headquarters in Quetta on behalf of Army Chief of Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Faisal rose to fame after saving lives in the country’s southwestern region. When the vehicle caught fire at a gas station, he was driving a burning fuel truck away from a populated area on Qambrani Street.
The hero-driver also recalled the terrible moments and said that he thought the tanker would explode and he would die. However, he did mention that saving lives was paramount.
Faisal took the burning vehicle about two kilometres from the densely populated area when bystanders urged him to stop the car and jump. At the same time, thick black smoke billowed from the tanker.
