Gilani family’s three-year ordeal ends

Ali Haider Gilani rescued by US, Afghan forces in a raid on al Qaeda cell in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: The Gilani family oscillated between hope and despair for three years. The long fretful wait ended on Tuesday when their kidnapped son was rescued in southeastern Afghanistan. Ali Haider Gilani, son of former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, was freed by US and Afghan forces during a raid on an al Qaeda cell.

Ali Haider was seized by militants on the outskirts of Multan on May 9, 2013, just two days before a bitterly contested parliamentary election in which he was campaigning. Militants on a motorbike opened fire before abducting him in a black Honda car. His secretary and a bodyguard were killed, and four people wounded.

Ali Haider “was rescued in Giyan district of Paktika province by US Special Operations Forces and Afghan commandos in a partnered raid,” Nato said in the statement from Kabul. Afghan officials earlier said the raid took place in Ghazni province.

The raid was carried out under Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, the US mission focusing on counter-terrorism as well as training, advising and assisting Afghan troops, it added. “Four enemy combatants were killed as a result of the operation.”

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani confirmed the news on his official Twitter handle. “The government of Afghanistan has safely handed Gilani over to the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul,” he said and commended the Afghan forces for the successful raid.

Afghan National Security Adviser Muhammad Hanif Atmar officially conveyed the news to Prime Minister’s aide on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz in a phone call, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office.

A Foreign Office official told The Express Tribune that the US and Afghan forces found Gilani ‘by chance’ while raiding the al Qaeda cell. “We were told that US and Afghan forces didn’t know Ali Haider was being kept in the area,” the official said requesting anonymity. “It was by sheer luck that they found him there.”

Afghan Ambassador in Islamabad Omar Zakhilwal called up Yousaf Raza Gilani to share the ‘good news’. “He is fine, he can walk, he can talk,” Zakhilwal said, adding that he expected the former hostage to return to Pakistan late Tuesday or Wednesday.

Ali Haider was in the captivity of an al Qaeda-affiliated group, Zakhilwal said without elaborating. The Afghan Taliban denied role in kidnapping or release.  “We had no involvement in his [Ali Haider’s] abduction and shifting to Afghanistan,” the group’s spokesperson told The Express Tribune.

Sources in the Pakistan Embassy told The Express Tribune that Ambassador Abrar Hussain was in contact with the US military and Afghan government officials to make arrangements for Ali Haider’s return to Pakistan. “He was airlifted to the Bagram airbase shortly after he was rescued where he will be medically examined,” one source said.

Yousaf Raza Gilani broke the news to a cheering crowd at a political rally of the Pakistan Peoples Party in Bagh district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. “This rally has proved fortunate for me,” he said. “When I was about to board the helicopter (to come) I received the information that my son has been recovered.”

Hundreds of people converged on the family’s home in Multan as the news broke, dancing to drumbeats and passing around sweets in celebration. Some also hugged and presented flowers to Ali Gilani’s brother, Abdul Qadir Gilani, who told media he was “so happy today that I can’t explain it in words”.

“When we first heard the news, we didn’t believe it and only believed it once the Foreign Office confirmed it,” a third brother, Ali Musa Gilani, told media. “God has accepted somebody’s prayer. The prayer of those who love us,” he added. “Right now, we don’t have any plans to celebrate. We are just waiting to see his face.”

Army chief Gen Raheel Sharif thanked the commander of the Resolute Support Mission, Gen John Nicholson and Afghanistan security forces for the recovery of Haider Gilani. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Gen Raheel also telephoned former PM Yousaf Raza Gilani to congratulate him on the recovery of his son.

Ali Haider’s recovery comes two months after the kidnapped son of slain Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer was also freed. Shahbaz Taseer spent five years in militant captivity before his abrupt release in March. “Welcome back @haidergilani,” Shahbaz Taseer tweeted on Tuesday, adding an image of the Pakistani flag.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2016.