Islamabad: A 15-year-old who died while tried to defend his school in Pakistan's troubled north-west from a suicide bomber has been hailed as a hero for saving the lives of many of his classmates.
Aitizaz Hasan tackled the bomber as he stood outside as a punishment for being late to school in Hangu, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Monday.
Police have recommended the teenager for a top civilian honour.
Aitizaz's actions are thought to have saved the lives of many of the 2,000 students who were believed to be in the building at the time.
Praise has poured in for Aitizaz's efforts, with some calling for him to be posthumously honoured.
On social media the young boy has been embraced as a national hero for fighting back at a time when most politicians are desperate to pursue a negotiated settlement with militant groups – a strategy condemned by many terrorism experts.
Suicide bomb attacks are increasingly common in Pakistan. A report earlier in the week by the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies said suicide attacks had increased by 39% in 2013 to a total of 46.
On Thursday a crusading policeman famous for battling militants in the troubled city of Karachi was killed by a Taliban suicide bomber who rammed his car with an explosive-packed vehicle.
Chaudhry Aslam, who as head of Karachi's Criminal Investigation Department had survived numerous other assassination attempts, died alongside several other police officers in the Essa Nagri area of Karachi despite the protection of the bullet-proof car he was travelling in.
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