- Authorities in Pakistan should closely study the trail of
movement of both these abductees to trace the groups that are involved in it
Khaleej Times
Editorial
In a joint operation apparently carried out by Afghan and US forces, the son of Pakistan’s former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was recovered from Ghazni province in Afghanistan. This has raised many eyebrows. Ali Haider Gilani was abducted from Multan, his hometown in Pakistan, three years ago and since then it has been a mystery. He was being held by an Al Qaeda-affiliate group, and had reportedly been in a deal for ransom. It is not known whether his recovery is part of the deal with the militants, after payment of ransom, or was materialised through use of force. In a similar incident recently, the son of Punjab’s former governor Salman Taseer was recovered from the restive Balochistan province five years after his abduction. During all these years, militants kept him in Afghanistan and sold him to fellow compatriot groups. Both these high-profile kidnappings not only highlight the state of lawlessness in Pakistan, but also the fact that militants are interlinked and working with impunity across the Durand Line.
Authorities in Pakistan should closely study the trail of movement of both these abductees to trace the groups that are involved in it. The nexus of militants from the settled areas of Pakistan to the restive zones bordering Afghanistan, and beyond, is a challenge to Pakistan’s security. It seems thugs and militants have a field day, and their network is still working despite successes in the so-called war on terrorism. The killing of rights activist Khurram Zaki in Karachi this week is a case in point. He was campaigning against the militant groups, especially the remnants of Lal Masjid and other banned groups, who allegedly enjoy a soft corner with the powers-that-be. Gilani and Taseer’s safe rescue is a good omen, but it goes without saying that a bunch of non-state actors had kept state security forces on tenterhooks for all these years. This phenomenon of state-within-a-state has to come to an end, and the militants nipped in the bud.
