Arabian Knight
FULL MEMBER
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2010
- Messages
- 102
- Reaction score
- 0
DAMMAM: There are those critical moments when life and death hang in the balance and when a moment of uncertainty can tip those scales irrevocably.
One man who faced that challenge was Pakistani national Farman Ali Khan. He did not hesitate, and his heroic exploits of Nov. 25, 2009, saved many lives at the cost of his own.
On Tuesday, it was announced that he would be posthumously awarded the prestigious King Abdul Aziz Medal of the First Order. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah approved the honor for Farman, said an official statement. The Pakistani community expressed its heartfelt gratitude to the Saudi leadership for the touching gesture.
Nov. 25, 2009 will remain etched in the collective memory of Jeddah. Just after dawn that day dark clouds began gathering over the sprawling Red Sea port city. By 9 a.m. the skies opened up and continuously poured down for the next couple of hours. For the rain-starved population, it started as a celebration. On the main streets of Jeddah one could see people frolicking in the rain and youngsters splashing through the puddles. A little later the light rain intensified into a downpour and then all hell broke loose.
The rainwater swallowed everything in its wake and left a trail of destruction unheard and unseen in the citys history. Many died, and damage was estimated in the millions. The southern areas of the city bore the brunt of the deluge.
People caught up in the torrent were washed away in waters thick with debris as onlookers watched helplessly. For a fortunate 14 people, one onlooker, 32-year-old Farman, did much more than watch the plight of the drowning people.
An expatriate worker from Pakistans Swat Valley, he worked at a grocery store in the locality worst hit by the flash flooding. In his spare time he taught karate, but on that black Wednesday, he fought death repeatedly, saving person after person before the tables turned on him.
His neighbors were quoted in local newspapers as saying that Farman gave him his wallet and cell phone for safekeeping. He then tied one end of a rope to a pipe and the other around his waist and stood at the edge of the heart of the flooding looking for people to pull out. To those he couldnt reach either swimming or wading, he would extend a wooden pole for them to grab. He went back 15 times before the water got the better of him and he went under.
Writing in Al-Madinah newspaper, columnist Salem bin Ahmad Sahab paid a wholesome tribute to Farman by quoting famous Egyptian poet and thinker Ali Al-Jarim: The brave is the one who creates hope out of despair because despair has the taste of death while bravery bears the meaning of life.
Another writer, Maram Makkawy, wrote: Farmans mind was occupied with one thought when he saw people crying for help ... what could he do to help them? He did not say, I dont care. He did not stand by as some men did only taking pictures with their expensive cell phones of people fighting when they could help. He did not even justify himself as many did by saying he had a house full of women and that he was their only breadwinner.
Farman hadnt seen his family for years to the extent that his youngest daughter did not remember him. One of Farmans brothers said that as a teenager in Pakistan, Farman once entered a burning shop next to an armory and brought a gas cylinder to safety that could have exploded and possibly set off the ammunition next door.
Salem bin Ahmad Sahab, the columnist, also reminded his readers of Verse 35 of Surah Al-Maidah: If anyone saves a life, it is as if he has saved the life of all people.
Indeed Farman Ali Khan reminded all of us that one person with courage and determination can make all the difference in the world.
By honoring Farman, Saudi Arabia has won the hearts of hundreds and thousands of expatriates working in the Kingdom. Thank you, King Abdullah, said Rizwan Ahmad, a prominent Pakistani in the Eastern Province. We know you and your people care for us.
Top honor for Farman delights Pak expats - Arab News
Last edited by a moderator:
