A week’s paid holiday to Pakistani bus driver

A token of appreciation from ANCL:

Sunday Observer in association with the Daily News has invited Meher Mohammad Khalil, the driver of the coach that drove the Sri Lankan cricket team to safety in Lahore, to visit Sri Lanka with his wife for a week’s fully paid holiday.

The invitation was sent by Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. (ANCL) Chairman Bandula Padmakumara last Thursday, March 5, 2009 through the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo. “This is a token of our appreciation and gratitude for your courageous action in saving the lives of our valued cricket team when they came under terrorist attack,” the invitation said.

Sri Lankan Ambassador- designate to Pakistan Air Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody has pledged to extend his fullest cooperation in facilitating the visit of Mohammad Khalil. He will shortly contact Khalil to discuss about the logistics of his visit. As Sri Lankan cricket Captain Mahela Jayawardena said, “Khalil was our saviour. He did not think about his life. He was wise enough to keep driving and took us to the stadium. It could have been fatal. We owe the team bus driver our lives for his remarkable bravery in the face of direct gunfire. Had he not had the courage and presence of mind to get the bus moving after the initial attack, then we’d have been a far easier target for the terrorists,” Mahela said. There have been many inquiries from enthusiastic Pakistani nationals as well as from sub continent journalists about the invitation extended to Khalil. The visit will provide a fine opportunity for the Sri Lankan public to pay their gratitude to the heroic driver.