Shoe thrower fears for his safety

Sardar Shamim Khan who threw his shoes at President Asif Zardari during a rally in Birmingham is in hiding after receiving death threats.

The 57-yr-old dad-of-four has taken shelter among the Kashmiri community in Alum Rock after receiving threats from supporters of Asif Zardar, reported Sunday Mercury on its website.

A source close to Shamim 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 phone calls as well, most likely from overseas. At the moment he is scared for his safety.”

Shamim Khan had hurled his shoes at the President after becoming enraged by his handling of the country’s flood disaster.

He told media he was proud that he had thrown his shoes at the President who happens to be the co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party. Shamim chalimed he was a PPP supporter.

“I could feel the anger brewing up inside me,” Shamim told media after throwing shoes. “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.