‘I threw shoes on Musharraf in protest against NRO’

LONDON: The young man, who hurled his pair of shoes at former President Pervez Musharraf, said that he had acted on his own free will and conscience and strongly denied the former president’s allegation that he was paid to disrupt the large All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) rally here in Walthamstow.
The News can reveal that the 23-year-old Khurram Shahzad Sindhu and his friends hail from central Lahore and he is studying for MBA. Sindhu says that he has never been a member of any political party. He is keen to insist that his way of protest was not aimed at the person of Pervez Musharraf but what he represented as a Pakistani politician, same as leaders of all other political parties.
“There are a lot of reasons why I did it but the chief amongst many reasons is Musharraf lost of respect when he sprung the infamous National Reconciliation Order (NRO) and paved the return of some of the most corrupt politicians to Pakistan. He did good things in the beginning of his rule but he became like any other politician - and even went a step further - when he handed over Pakistan to crooks, thieves and liars. I can never forget him for that,” Sindhu told this correspondent on Tuesday from his home in a West Midland city, which he doesn’t want to disclose for security reasons. He fears that he will be targeted as President Musharraf has already issued threats to take his teeth out.
He admitted that Shameem Khan had inspired him to be bold and had the courage the register the protest in the most radical fashion. “I saw an old man standing up to Zardari for his crimes against Pakistan and I thought ‘I am young and energetic and why can’t I do it.”
Since that incident in August last year in Birmingham, Sindhu has monitoring Pakistani media to see if any other political leader, including Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif, would address a public rally in the UK so that he could avail the chance to register his protest. “Sharifs realise how they could be treated so they prefer hobnobbing with the most faithful only. So is the case with other politicians. When I heard Musharraf was speaking in London to his party faithful, three of us booked the tickets and reached the rally hall,” Sindhu recounts insisting that he had made up his mind to protest but decided on the spur of the moment to throw the shoes.
“I love Pakistan too much. I wanted to send a message to our youngsters that Pakistanis youth cannot afford anymore to be messed about by these politicians. I know dozens of British Pakistani men who love both Britain and Pakistan but are completely shocked when they see in compassion the turmoil in Pakistan to other nations. They can see the country of their parents is in ruins because of these politicians,” Sindhu raged.
He said, “The others reasons why I threw shoes are Musharraf’s treatment of nuclear scientist Dr AQ Khan, Nawab Akbar Bugti’s murder, Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, Dr Aafia’s handing over to the US and siding with the US in the war on terrorism.”