Thank you Mr Bus Driver.

[Silaaj]

The sad incident from march 3 may have brought around the demise of Pakistan cricket for now, but its good to see credit being given where its due. The bus driver truly was a hero. And Sri Lankans have been all praise for him and his selfless actions. Murlitharan gave the driver his match shirt as a gift.
Compare this to Chris Broad, who seems to be implying that the police and security deserted them during the firing, conveniently missing the fact that 6 of them had been martyred.

K. R. PUSHPARANJAN in Sri LankaIt’s with irresistible delight the whole country watched and read the heroic act of the bus driver who was conveying our cricketing ambassadors to the Lahore stadium on that fatal day March 03, 2009.
If not for the timely and levelheaded action taken by Mr. Mehar Mohammad Khalil who was driving our cricketing heroes to the ground on this fateful day, not only to the cricketing fans but to the whole country it would have been a true melancholy and a desolation. In fact had he not had the bold and conscientious mind to get the bus moving after the initial attack our loving heroes would have been a far easy target for the fanatics.

This diminutive man seems to have driven the bus at full speed carrying the cricket team, without leaving it and running away which would have been the safest thing for him to do in terms of his personal safety.

Sri Lankans must pay a special tribute to this simple but extraordinary man for his remarkable bravery in the face of direct gunfire from highly sophisticated weapons of ruthless, brutal barbarians.

I feel that our Cricket Board must get Mr. Mehar Mohammad Khalil down to Sri Lanka and bestow a special accolade in recognizing his brave action that saved our adoring champions.

Thank You Mr. Bus Driver !

[kakaballi]

Re: Thank you Mr Bus Driver.

certainly... Thanks! They could not take the bus hostage largely because of his presence of mind.

[simplyme]

Re: Thank you Mr Bus Driver.

In every dark cloud there is a silver lining.

[cadet018]

Re: Thank you Mr Bus Driver.

[Mirch]

Re: Thank you Mr Bus Driver.

I hope he does not remain and unsung hero. Pakistani government should recognize his heroism too.

[Reverse_Swing]

Thank you Mr Mehar Mohammad Khalil. You are a true hero.

By saving the lives of the Sri Lankan cricketers you saves our ar**s too.

We salute your bravery and presence of mind

[GoldenAsif]

He fully deserves all the attention and accolades that he is getting at the moment from everyone. He truly saved us all from an even greater embarrassment and tragedy

Now some recognition and award from the shameless Punjab governor and incompetent government would be nice

[sameenji]

He is a gallant person.Thanks to both ,the Driver n Terrorists, for not shooting him directly.just kidding

Im really happy for the team,This team is my fav.Its really great that they are safe n sound.

[ehtasab]

Just like our cricket team when we were winning games because of one hero batsman or one hero bowler, we were happy. Our victories relied on individual brilliances rather than systemic approach of the team. It now reflects here as well, the incident saved us from a major disaster because of individual brilliances of few policemen and bus driver.

Thank you policemen and bus driver

[a1kashur]

LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) – His job was to drive the bus. But Meher Mohammad Khalil is now being hailed as a lifesaver.

When gunmen jumped out of bushes and began spraying bullets at the bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team Tuesday, Khalil quickly sized up his options and got everyone to safety.

“First I thought there were some firecrackers going off. Then, when I saw the elite force cars in front of me taking fire, I immediately lost my voice,” Khalil told CNN on Wednesday.

"At that time, the other elite car that was with us gave me cover, and then, when I saw he was giving me cover, my courage and my patience returned. Watch CNN’s interview with Khalil »

“I decided to take the vehicle from there, and one way or another, even if I had to drive over someone, I would take this bus and escape.” Khalil returned to the scene of the attack in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday to honor those who were killed and to place flowers in their memory.

One of the dead was Zafar Khan, a friend and fellow bus driver who had been in a vehicle behind Khalil.

“My eyes filled with tears that these were people that I was eating with and who died in doing their duty.”

Khalil had been part of a convoy heading to Gaddafi Stadium, where the Sri Lankan cricket team was to continue a match against Pakistan.

Six police officers were killed, in addition to Khalil’s friend Khan who was driving a bus with the match umpires.

The Sri Lankan cricketers praised Khalil’s quick thinking and action, saying he saved their lives. Six team members were injured by broken glass and shrapnel.
Team captain Mahela Jayawardene wrote on his Web site of Khalil: “He probably saved our lives, showing remarkable bravery in the face of direct gunfire to keep the bus moving.”

Crowds mobbed Khalil as he paid his respects at the place where his life changed in an instant.

“He is a hero, a real hero, a real man of the people,” a man in the crowd said.
Private donors in Lahore have rewarded Khalil with 300,000 rupees (more than $3,000) – a small fortune for a Pakistani bus driver.

Today, Khalil says all he can feel is pain of the loss of life. And he called on the attackers to recognize that their victims are humans just like them, with mothers and sisters. “For God’s sake, please stop this terrorism and let this nation breathe a sigh of relief,” he said.

A true hero. Even if the government doesn’t recognize him, he is a hero in the eyes of everyone else. Hats off to Mr. Khalil.

[cadet018]

Re: Thank you Mr Bus Driver.

**Geo gave him 1 lac rupees
**

[Mirch]

Re: Thank you Mr Bus Driver.

I hope this poor soul does not become a target of those murderers after his comments about them. May Allah protect him. Ameen.

[cadet018]

Re: Thank you Mr Bus Driver.

*ameen
*

[Decent_6Chora]

Re: Thank you Mr Bus Driver.

to him and other 6 security personals and slain driver who showed courage at the time. If you look at the dry fruit, juices, food and other stuff in terrorists backpacks left behind, its clear that they want to take SL players hostage.