Comedian saves life mimicking Pakistan PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: A man was successfully persuaded by the rescuers to climb down after he was made to belive that he was talking to Prime Minister Imran Khan. But it was in fact comedian Shafaat Ali who mimicked the prime minister.

Holding Pakistan's flag atop the tower, the man demanded government make him prime minister of Pakistan since he can resolve the issues facing the country.

He also sought an audience with the prime minister during his negotiations with rescuers.

Later, comedian Shafaat narrated the gripping discussion that took place between him and the man on the tower on his Facebook.

"For an artist, the epitome of his art would be making his art useful for humanity. I feel extremely lucky and accomplished for that today. My art was put to the real test and a life was saved. Thank you God for choosing me for this service.

At 2:30 PM, December 22nd, I received a call from somebody who introduced himself as SP SAYED AZIZ from Islamabad Police. He told me that a man has climbed up a BTS tower and is about to jump off, he demanded that he would take his life and jump off if rescue workers or the police approached him. He added that the person demands PM Imran Khan to call him and listen to his plan of "saving Pakistan".

Before i could tell him that I am not in a position to talk to that man, SP Sayed Aziz told me that they had tried everything they could do to negotiate that man and I am their last resort. "We don't have much time, he can jump any second now" He hung up saying that.

Few seconds later i received a text from him sending me a phone number that man was already given up on the tower.

I called him, with my eyes on road and my heart thumping, kicking against my ribs, my throat dry as a bone, I managed to make an Imran Khans voice note, i uttered

"HELLO! KYA HUA HAI MERE TIGER APKO"

(Hello What happened to you my Tiger)

his sudden reply was

"AY IMRAN DI AWAZ EE NAI"

( this is not Imrans Voice)

I felt my heart missed a beat and extremely embarrassed. To cover up I rebounded with an taunting soft note

"AP MERI AWAZ NAI PECHANTE"

(Dont you know how do I sound like ?)

I felt he went thoughtful for a brief moment. He then did a little "hmmm" which was like a "Go On" for me.

A sudden realization was that I am not talking to someone who is mentally challenged but also extremely sharp eyed or sharp eared may be in judging me with my accent and vocabulary i used using Imran Khans voice. Must have been an extremely observant follower of him. That further made me feel my nerves getting stretched.

After about a minute I spoke as Imran Khan, he started talking his heart out, I felt a little relaxed that he has started believing that he is talking to the real Khan. He then suddenly said

"KHAN SAAB AP K LOG GHAREEB BANDAY SE 25000 RUPAY RISHWAT LETE HAIN. MAI APNAY AP KO ISS LIYE KHATAM KAR RAHA HU K MULK MAI CORRUPTION KHATAM HO JAYE"

(Khan Saab, your people ask Rs 25000 as bribes from poor men. I am killing myself as a vigil against corruption)

Suddenly I couldn't feel my legs. I felt all the effort I did is going to end with his life. At that moment that unknown man was more dear to me than anything else in this world. I gathered my energy and asked him if he had a plan to fight corruption with me (Imran Khan)

YES! he exclaimed. That YES had an indescribable strength of an emotion. He then went on with some key points of his plan which he had worked hard in his mind. Very next moment he started crying saying:

"KHAN SAAB MAI 6 MAHINAY SE AP SE BAAT KRNA CHA RA HU. KHAN SAAB PAKISTAN TABAH HO RA HAI. MAI KHATAM KARTA HU KHUD KO"

(Khan Saab I have been trying for 6 months to talk to you. Pakistan is getting destroyed Khan Saab. I am going to kill myself)

I dont remember how ! I don't know how, but somehow, I did convince him not to jump off. Thrice in that conversation he threatened to take his own life. And that was not just a threat, he was just a whisker away from actually doing it. A rush in my mind and I told him that I (Imran Khan) needed honest people like him. Told him that I (Imran Khan) am going to sack Asad Umar and put him in financial advisory. For that I (Imran Khan) order his minister to come down from that tower immediately.

"I am sending you an SP named Sayed Aziz over there. He will take you to Sheheryar Afridi and he will bring you straight to my office. You will get full protocol and No one is allowed to touch you"

With a racing heart I hung up. Not that I had given up, but thats how I thought I was keeping it legit. I was just trying to play a mind game on him in expectation that he would do what I wamt him to do. That was not easy, There were sand papers in my head scrubbing something off my nerves with that. Seconds later phone showed a new message. I asked my wife to read out. She said SP says its a miracle, he is coming down himself. I pulled over and rested my head on the steering wheel. "SHUKAR ALHAMDULILLAH" I exhaled all the stress, worry, anxiety, strain and burden I had inside me.

"What If that man had jumped Becks" i asked my wife who was as stressed as me. "Dont know" she said followed by a long silence. I felt electric buzz running all over my head with chills crawling up my spine "I would have never slept again" i thought " How could I have ever faced myself ? How could I have ever justified this skill as a talent If that man had jumped ? What headline it would have made ? 'A comedians gimmick claimed a mentally challenged persons life' . How would I have ever walked with grace?" And thousands of other HOW COULDs and WHAT IFs were running against each other in my mind with some turning into words, some not.

I gathered myself, dropped my wife at shopping and took my kid to a restaurant. Phone started ringing. Everyone who called was in a funny mood, a comic mood to be precise. For everyone this seemed pretty droll.

A harsh reality check was, that in this society No one is ready to accept for the fact that mental illness can take someone's life. *THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FUNNY ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS AND MENTALLY CHALLENGED PEOPLE*

Mentally challenged people are more sensitive to their surroundings than many of us. They deserve more affection, more tolerance, more hope, more love and a lot of patience than anyone else. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are different in many ways, and you may be unsure how to navigate these differences.

Help them! Help them with patience, realization, method and love.

Laughing at them doesn't make anything easier for them or their families."