Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had an eventful welcome Saturday at the Lahore Railway Station when an unidentified person threw a shoe at him, hitting him on the head, DawnNews reported.
Rashid is in Lahore to attend the final of Pakistan Super League.
In his address to the media, the shoe struck him, the AML leader thanked Railways Minister Saad Rafique for arranging protocol at the train station.
"I have good relations with [Saad Rafique's] family. He acted sensibly and sent me a flower bouquet. Thank you very much," Rashid said as he turned around to make his way out through the crowd at the station.
Read more: How to be Sheikh Rashid (in 11 easy steps)
Moments after he turned, the video shows a shoe flying in his direction and hitting his head from the back.
The first time in recent history someone threw a shoe at a politician was in 2008, when an Iraqi journalist in Baghdad threw his shoes, one after the other, at the then United States President George W. Bush while he was addressing a press conference.
Demonstrating political dissent via the dramatic shoe protest caught on ever since in various parts of the world, including Pakistan.
In April 2014, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif narrowly escaped a shoe hurled at him during the inauguration of a three-day South Asia Labour Conference in Lahore. The shoe-hurler in this case turned out to be a journalist who aimed the shoe at Shahbaz but missed his target. The shoe landed near the stage instead where the CM was sitting.
Similar incidents have been reported in different countries that include India and Iran.
