Tamgha-e-Shuja'at announced for the hero who took the burning oil tanker away from the population
.webp "Tamgha-e-Shuja'at announced for the hero who took the burning oil tanker away from the population")
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has announced the nomination of a tanker driver named Muhammad Faisal Baloch for the Medal of Courage who risked his life in Quetta a few days ago and took the burning tanker away from the population.
The Prime Minister called on Muhammad Faisal on Wednesday. Faisal Baloch arrived in Islamabad from Quetta on Sunday at the invitation of the Prime Minister, where he was received as an official guest at Balochistan House Islamabad.
Shahbaz Sharif said in his tweet that he was a "real life hero who risked his life to save countless lives."
The Medal of Courage is one of the highest official honors of Pakistan. It is given by the government of Pakistan to those who "bravely save" or try to save the lives of others in "extreme danger situations".
On June 7, a fire broke out while transporting a petrol pump from a tanker in Sariab area of Quetta.It was a pleasure to meet and nominate Faisal Baloch for the conferment of Tamgha-e-Shujaat for his act of bravery. A real-life hero, he risked his own life to save that of countless others. I commend his selfless act of courage. pic.twitter.com/v2dddOhs1g
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) June 15, 2022
At the time, driver Muhammad Faisal had only two options: either try to save his life first and walk away from the tanker, or use his skill in driving a tanker to save lives and drive it. Take them away from the population.
They chose the other route and managed to prevent the accident from turning into a major tragedy.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qaddos Bizenjo had announced a reward of Rs 500,000 for Muhammad Faisal's bravery.
In addition, on the initiative of Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, he was given an honorary shield and cash prize in the 12th Corps based in Quetta.Deputy commissioner quetta Mr. Shehak baloch presents certificate and cash reward to oil tanker driver Faisal baloch. pic.twitter.com/ajdj2rRfA7
— Govt. of Balochistan (@dpr_gob) June 10, 2022
''Every hour of taking the oil tanker wrapped in fire away from the population was considered as the last moment of life but life was left so it survived despite being close to death,'' Mohammad Faisal says.
He risked his life to carry the oil tanker filled with petrol to a distance of three kilometers despite the fire.
He said that this would probably be the most memorable moment of his life as a small negligence or wrong decision could have been fatal for him at first but he is surprised that he is on the verge of death. How could they not be frightened and take the right steps despite the speed of lightning?
Saeed Ahmad Shahwani, owner of oil tanker and petrol pump, is very happy with Muhammad Faisal and says that he has proved that he is a real hero.
How did the oil tanker catch fire?
Saeed Ahmad Shahwani said the oil tanker contained 10,000 liters of petrol which was being emptied at his pump in Sariab area on Tuesday.
He said that a pipe was attached to empty the petrol from the tanker into the tank of the petrol pump when a fire broke out and the rear part of the tanker was engulfed in it.
He said Filler also suffered some injuries from the blaze.
At that time the driver Muhammad Faisal was drinking water and was some distance away from the tanker. When the fire broke out, everyone at the pump lost their lives but Muhammad Faisal got into the car without any fear and started the tanker to save the people including the people.
Shahwani says the petrol pump, the oil tanker and the 10,000 liters of petrol in it all belonged to him.
He said that due to lack of arrangements for extinguishing the fire at the site and its vicinity, the tanker and petrol had to be burnt but there was a possibility of fire at the petrol pump itself but the driver Muhammad Faisal. His bravery and present mind saved not only many lives but also the petrol pump.
He said that we have seen such scenes in Hollywood movies but we saw a real scene with our own eyes.
He said he had the Provincial Disaster Management Department (PDMA) number, so he called the PDMA and informed the fire brigade.
In that time Muhammad Faisal went and sat in the burning tanker.
"It was a time when there was no choice but to go ahead but it was not possible to do so without reversing the vehicle, so first reverse the tanker and then move it forward."
He said there was an open space near the petrol pump but when he reached the empty space a Suzuki pickup and a car arrived and he did not stop the tanker because in doing so both Vehicles and their occupants could be damaged.
Now the only way they had was to take the burning tanker as far away from the population as possible. By the time they left the population, the rear of the tanker had caught fire and it was not possible for them to move farther.
Now another problem for them was that when they put their feet on the brakes, the brakes were not working at all.
At that time the speed of the tanker was 70 to 80 kilometers per hour. Muhammad Faisal said that due to the high speed of the tanker, they first put it in third gear, then second and then first gear and then turned off the engine and the tanker stopped.
During this time, they were afraid that someone might have been harmed by the flames of the fire, because the flames were far behind because of the wind and the flow of petrol, but they kept pushing the horn and moving forward.
He said that his younger brother worked with him in the same oil tanker as his assistant.
"When I got out of the tanker after the fire broke out, my brother had stopped the traffic from behind so that no one else would be harmed by the flames."
"When my brother and the car owner approached me, they told me that no one else was harmed by the fire in the back of the car," he said.
Muhammad Faisal is happy that as a human being he tried to do what he could to save the lives of other human beings and to minimize the financial losses of his owners.