Parents of Pakistani national abducted in Nigeria appeal to COAS for son's release

We are hoping that with your efforts our son will safely reach Pakistan soon, they say


Ehtisham Mufti May 28, 2022
The parents of Dr Abuzar Muhammad Afzal pleading for the release of their son in a video. SCREENGRAB

KARACHI:

The parents of PhD scholar Dr Abuzar Muhammad Afzal, who was kidnapped in Nigeria along with over 60 others, have appealed to the Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa to work for the release of his son on humanitarian grounds.

"We are hoping that with your efforts our son will safely reach Pakistan soon," they said while talking to The Express Tribune.

They said that Dr Abuzar was abducted on March 28 from the African country, adding that the former federal government of PTI did nothing for the release of their son.

"The life of our son is in grave danger, therefore, we requested Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, COAS General Qamar, Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandial and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to contact Nigerian government for the freedom of their son," they pleaded.

Read more: FO assures of all-out efforts for recovery of kidnapped Pakistani in Nigeria

The parents of Dr Abuzar said that the kidnappers have given a seven-day deadline and three days have already passed. "We hope that by the efforts of everyone, our son will soon be among us," they added.

Dr Abuzar had a PhD in Microbiology from Faisalabad and had been serving an international company in Nigeria as general manager.

Dr Abuzar is held hostage along with over 60 other people by a Nigerian terrorist group, with kidnapers issuing a deadline for the approval of their demands.

In a terrifying video, the Pakistani national had pleaded to the government and the world to help them.
Abuzar had said that the kidnappers made it clear that if their demands were not met within six days, all the hostages would be killed, adding that they were abducted on March 28.

"I work for a company called Jay Marines. 62 people including me have been abducted. We are in a very difficult situation," he was quoted as saying.

Abuzar had urged the governments of Pakistan and Nigeria and the international community to make immediate efforts for their release.

COMMENTS (2)

test | 2 years ago | Reply Armed Forces Govt of Pakistan and Armed forces of Nigeria and Govt will do whatever it can to take back our national from hostages even if we have to collaborate on defence level we should do that after all he is a Pakistani and it is our responsibility to make sure Pakistanis are safe here in Pakistan and also when they are abroad.
Christopher | 2 years ago | Reply Why would a Muslim kidnap another Muslim in the name of Islam
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ