'Nothing could satisfy me more than saving lives'

Mehar Mohammad Khalil, the Pakistani bus driver whose timely action saved the lives of Sri Lankan cricketers during a terror attack in Lahore, on Friday said no financial rewards or gifts could replace the relief he got at taking the visiting team to the safety of the stadium.

"I have been driving visiting teams for last many years now and I was very friendly with the Sri Lankan players. After I got them to the safety of the stadium I just kept on praying to God to ensure there were no casualties," he said.

"Nothing can replace the feeling of relief and joy I got at managing to get them to the stadium and save them from the attack," he added.

Khalil, who has been showered with cash awards and has also been invited to Sri Lanka for a holiday with his family by a leading media group, told PTI that so far he had received no invitation for the trip.

"Someone from Sri Lankan airlines called me up and just took details of my family," he said.

Khalil is presently in Karachi to receive a cash award of 100,000 from Pakistan's largest media group, Jang group of newspapers and Geo.

But Khalil made it clear that while it felt good to be promised so many cash awards, he would still be a happy and satisfied man if he did not get anything.