Former Pakistan legislator Zamarrud Khan, who shot to fame after he overpowered a terrorist in Islamabad, was given a grand reception in Riyadh on Friday.

Khan came for the Haj pilgrimage, where he set up camps to extend assistance to the pilgrims from Pakistan.

Under his leadership, pilgrims from his country were provided with some 700 wheelchairs to help perform Haj rituals with the help of more than 1,000 volunteers from Riyadh and Jeddah.

Addressing his compatriots, Khan introduced his Pakistan Sweet Home Project, which is now operating in 28 locations with more than 3,000 orphans from different parts of the country.

He said he conceived his PSH Project in 2009 after the evacuation and displacement of people that followed the military operations against Taleban in Swat-Malakand regions.

“I was very saddened to see the plight and misery of the displaced people of Swat-Malakand whose homes were destroyed with many children becoming orphans. At that time I immediately thought of starting a project to extend help to these orphans and I immediately launched this PSH Project in Islamabad,” he said.

Detailing his PSH Project, he said this project provides all basic needs to the orphans, who are adopted from the age of four years. “Such orphans remain with PSH till they graduate with bachelor’s degrees. This means their educational needs would be fully taken care of.”

He said expatriates in the Kingdom are free to adopt an orphan at a cost of SR360 per month. He also requested those interested to sponsor a child to visit his PSH Project in Islamabad and meet with the orphans to have a face-to-face dialogue to see for themselves as to what the orphanage is doing for them.

The event was organized by the Pakistan People’s Party Riyadh region with its President Fayyaz Khan in the chair. The event was compered by General Secretary Rana Khalid.

Waseem Sajid opened the session with an introduction of Zamarrud Khan. Waseem said he was proud of Zamarrud Khan when he risked his life to help overpower terrorist, Sikander, who had laid a siege for over six hours. “He is the only living person whose name has been engraved in a bill board for his act of bravery at the Rawalpindi High Court.