'Before judging...': Wife of Pakistani man who gave rape-threats to flight attendant defends him

A Pakistani man was recently booked for giving rape threats to a flight attendant of Virgin Atlantic flight attendant. It was later found out that the man, Salman Iftikhar, was married to a model and had a second wife in London. Now, his wife Abeer Rizvi, who is a social media influencer, has come to defend him, claiming that his mental health was not good. Rizvi posted on social media days after Iftikhar was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his behaviour during a flight in 2023.

“Mental health is not a joke. Behind every story, there’s pain you don’t see,” she wrote on Instagram. “Before judging, try understanding. Be kind. Be human,” she added. Iftikhar, founder of the recruitment firm Staffing Match, was travelling from London to Lahore with his wife and their three children when the incident happened. Iftikhar allegedly drank champagne in front of his children and behaved in a disorderly manner. When the flight attendant asked him, he made racist and threatening remarks.

The 37-year-old went on an abusive rant against the flight attendant, screaming that he would set her on fire as other passengers watched in horror. Iftikhar repeatedly called Angie Walsh a "f***ing b****" mid-air, and later threatened to blow up the five-star hotel booked for the cabin crew. The Pakistani national has been handed a 15-month jail sentence for his vile attack on the woman. Videos from inside the plane show him accusing Walsh of racism, claiming that she called him a "P**i." His wife and three children can be heard crying in the background, urging him to stop. The scary episode on board led the captain to contemplate landing in Turkey. Iftikhar appeared unmoved at this time and shouted, "I don't care. F*** it, go to Turkey. I have contacts."

His uber-rich life in London

Mail Online reported that Iftikhar lives an ultra-luxurious life in London, where he owns a £2 million house in Iver, Buckinghamshire. He also has a fleet of expensive cars, including a Range Rover, Bentley and Rolls-Royce. Iftikhar has two wives and lives with Erum Salman at his London house. They run a London-based staffing company that trains businesses working in customer service and manufacturing. He is also married to supermodel and actress Abeer Rizvi, who lives in Pakistan.