Okaz/Saudi Gazette ABHA — Pakistani expatriate Shawkat Ali Amin, who was honored by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and interior minister, for rescuing a Saudi citizen from drowning in floodwaters, attributed to the ease in saving the Saudi to his fishing expertise. He said his penchant for fishing, which he honed for five years, helped him take the plunge in the floodwaters and do the job easily and successfully. Narrating his rescue story, Shawkat, who is 28 years old, said he had left his home in Tathleet on Thursday morning for work when he saw Fahd Al-Qahtani, a young Saudi man, fighting for his life in the floods. He said he immediately rushed to rescue the young man at any cost even if it was his own life. "Qahtani was on the top of his car at the bottom of the valley. There were people from the Civil Defense trying to save him. I decided to go into the water to join the rescue operation depending on my five years of fishing experience," he said. Shawkat said he used the ropes of the Civil Defense to reach Qahtani. "I put the life-saving vest on his body and the two of us held the rope tightly and were pulled out by the Civil Defense teams," he said. He said during the entire operation, he and Qahtani were repeating the word of monolith (No God but God) that Muslims would say before death. "I felt extremely happy to be able to provide a humanitarian service that helped save the life of a human being," he said. He added that he was motivated in his courageous act by his love for Saudi Arabia and its people among whom he has been living for the last many years. In appreciation of his gallant work, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif honored Shawkat with a feasible financial grant. Qahtani's family also rewarded him in cash. "I refused to accept the reward but they insisted and implored me to accept," he said.
