Pakistan President shoe thrower from coventry fears for his safety

Aug 15 2010 by Ben Goldby, Sunday Mercury

A PROTESTER who threw his shoes at the Pakistani President during a rally in Birmingham is in hiding after receiving death threats.

Sardar Mohammad Shamim Khan, 57, launched the attack after becoming enraged by Asif Ali Zardari’s handling of his country’s floods disaster.

Now the Coventry dad-of-four has taken shelter among the Kashmiri community in Alum Rock after receiving threats from supporters of the Pakistan leader.

A source close to Khan told the Sunday Mercury: “He feels that he can’t go home at the moment, so he is keeping a very low profile.

“His family has been threatened over in Pakistan, the irony is that most of them are actually Zardari supporters.

“He has also had threatening phonecalls as well, most likely from overseas. At the moment he is scared for his safety.”

Speaking after the attack Mr Khan – who had shouted “Allah is the only one who can give and take lives” – said he was proud that he had thrown his shoes at the Pakistani leader.

“I could feel the anger brewing up inside me,” he said. “I thought, we’ve a crisis back at home and all he can do is take a trip around Europe while his own people are suffering.

“His speech was insulting to my people who are dying because of Zardari’s government.