I was close to God even before Taliban abducted me: Ali Haider Gilani

Former premier's son refuses to delve into details regarding abduction

Ali Haider Gilani, son of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, made his first public appearance in Pakistan on Thursday after his release from a three-year captivity in Afghanistan.

“I thank all the Pakistanis who prayed for my recovery. It is because of the prayers that God showed His mercy and I have reached home safely,” Haider told media men in Lahore.

“I would also like to thank those who have been celebrating my homecoming, especially those who came [to Lahore] all the way from Multan just to meet me,” he added.

He was kidnapped by militants in the outskirts of Multan on May 9, 2013, just two days before a bitterly contested national election in which he was campaigning.



When asked by a reporter what happened to him while he was in the custody of militants, Haider simply refused to disclose any details, saying it was very long story which he would narrate some other time.

In response to another question regarding whether he would keep his beard, Haider said: “I was very close to God before the Taliban too,” referring to his captivity.

Earlier, terming Haider’s release a miracle, Yousuf Raza Gilani said his son was in the best of health. “He is hale and hearty. It is a miracle because there was no hope of his release.”

The former prime minister also revealed that his son had written a manuscript for a book dealing with his ordeal while in captivity but the pages were burnt by his captors. “He has a very sharp memory. He was taking some notes while being in the captivity to write a book but the papers were burnt,” he said.



Yousuf Raza Gilani also thanked the governments of United States and Afghanistan for carrying out a joint military raid which helped recover his son. “I have no personal relations with the American government. We [Pakistan and US] are partners in war on terror. I am thankful to the US and Afghan governments for this joint action.”