KABUL/LAHORE, May 11: Three years after he was abducted by militants from his hometown Multan, Ali Haider Gilani, the son of former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, returned home to a a rapturous welcome at his family house in Lahore.
He was accompanied by his brother Qasim Gilani in a special aircraft that brought him to Lahore from Afghanistan, from where he was rescued on Tuesday by a joint force of Afghan and US commandos who attacked a house held by al Qaeda militants.
Emotional scenes were witnessed at the Lahore Airport when Ali Haider Gilani met his family after three long years in captivity. His mother, wife, son and brothers were there to receive him at the VIP lounge of the Allama Iqbal Airport.
Ali Haider lifted his six-year-old son in his arms as he met his family. His mother shed tears of joy.
Ali Haider was handed over to Pakistan by Afghan officials earlier today. The Afghan defense minister handed over Ali Haider to Ibrar Hussain, the Pakistani ambassador in Kabul, at 10 am. They were taken to the airport by a helicopter for onward travel to Lahore.
First photo of Ali Haider Gilani released by the Pakistan Foreign OfficePictures released by the Foreign Office showed a happy and apparently healthy Ali Haider.
He was recovered in a joint operation by Afghan and US forces in Ghazni on Tuesday, three years after he was kidnapped from a pre-election rally in Multan.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s office said Afghan security forces defeated an Al Qaeda cell in a joint operation with international forces, and suggested that the discovery of Gilani may have been accidental, Reuters reported.
“During this anti-insurgency operation, Ali Haider Gilani…was identified at the site of the operation, and was freed from terrorists,” a spokesperson said.
The news was first broken by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in a tweet.
Former PM Yousuf Raza Gilani was on his way to a Pakistan People’s Party rally at Bagh Azad Kashmir on Tuesday when he received a phone call from the Afghan foreign office. He then talked to his son. “I talked to my son while I was on my way,” said Gilani, addressing the rally.-Agencies
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