Abeer Rizvi, one of the wives of Pakistani-origin London businessman Salman Ifthikhar, jailed in London for his vile outburst on a Virgin Atlantic plane, made an appeal on her social media defending her disgraced husband as she said there is pain behind every story. “Mental health is not a joke. Behind every story, there is pain you don’t see,” Pakistan-based Rizvi, who is also a supermodel, posted on her social media without making any reference to the incident. “Before judging, try understanding. Be kind. Be human,” Rizvi wrote. Daily Mail reported that 37-year-old Rizvi is one of Iftikhar’s wives. His other wife is Erum Salman who was present on the flight when the outburst took place, along with their children. 37-year-old Iftikhar was jailed for 15 months earlier this week for his vile outburst on a flight in 2023. He was drinking on the flight and started his vile behavior after he was asked not to grab ice for himself using his hands. Iftikhar said he was called a ‘Paki’ by a racist air hostess whom he then threatened with gangrape. Then he fought with a male flight attendant and said he knew the hotel where they would be staying in Lahore. “You will be dragged by your hair from your room and gang-raped and set on fire,” he said to the airhostess. When the flight landed in Pakistan, no action was taken against hi. He was arrested in 2024, more than a year after the incident. Iftikhar is the director and founder of recruitment firm Staffing Match. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson commented: ‘The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and we take a zero-tolerance approach to any disruptive or abusive behaviour on board our aircraft.Iftikhar’s lawyer told the court that he was suffering from ‘amnesia blood loss’. “Although there were over 100 incidents over the course of eight hours, the most serious, including threats to kill, were limited. The defendant has buried his head in the sand for a long period, and expressed regret. He has a long-standing drug and alcohol problem, which he has not addressed for many years. He is a successful businessman who employs a lot of people,” his lawyer said.
