Pakistani man risks his life for his gravity-defying moustache

A Pakistani businessman is risking his life by sporting an enormous, gravity-defying moustache.

Malik Amir Mohammad Khan Afridi has been kidnapped and had death threats from Islamic militants because of his eye-catching facial hair.

The 30-inch moustache enraged members of Lashkar-e-Islam, a former rival and now an ally of the Taliban, who said it went against religious doctrine that a moustache must be trimmed, if not shaved off.

Mr Afridi, who now lives in Peshawar, said he was first targeted for protection money and when he refused, militants turned up with guns and kidnapped him, keeping him in a cave for a month.

He said they released him when he cut it off — but he has grown it back since.

The 48-year-old grandfather said he was determined to keep his whiskers because it was his “identity.”

“People give me a lot of respect,” he said. “I feel happy.

“When it’s ordinary, no one gives me any attention. I got used to all the attention and I like it a lot.”