ISLAMABAD: Recognising the bravery of Aitezaz Hussain — a 15-year-old boy of Hangu who sacrificed his life to save hundreds of his school fellows from a suicide attack — Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday recommended conferment of Sitara-i-Shujaat on him posthumously.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Sharif has advised the president for the conferment of Sitara-i-Shujaat, the third highest civil award of the country, on the teenager.

“Shaheed Hussain’s brave act saved the lives of hundreds of students and established a sterling example of gallantry and patriotism,” said the official handout.

Noticing a suspicious individual moving towards his school in Ibrahimzai area of Hangu on Monday, Aitezaz signalled him to stop. And when the intruder refused to do so, the boy stopped his movement towards the school building. The suspicion proved true as the intruder blew himself up, killing himself and Hussain.

At the time of the attack hundreds of students were preparing for the morning assembly inside the school building and they were possibly the target of the suicide bomber.

On Friday the Senate unanimously passed a resolution to pay tribute to Aitezaz and Chaudhry Aslam, the SP of CID in Karachi who was killed in a bomb attack on Thursday.

Police chief of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Nasir Khan Durrani recommended a posthumous award for the Hangu boy.