Afghanistan Times
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KABUL: Ali Haidar Gilani, the son of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Yusuf Reza Gilani, was rescued during a joint U.S-Afghan operation in Ghazni province on Tuesday morning.
Gilani had been held hostage for three years by a suspected al-Qaeda-affiliated group.
The Afghan ambassador to Pakistan, Omar Zakhilwal, on his Facebook page wrote that he called the former prime minister on Tuesday morning with the good news.
According to Zakhilwal, the victim’s father “was ecstatically delighted as expected and grateful of President (Ashraf) Ghani’s personal attention to his son’s safe release.”
Zakhilwal said Gilani senior also thanked the security forces for bringing a “happy ending to a dreadful family saga”.
Reports indicate that Gilani is in good health but will first undergo a medical examination before returning home.
Gilani, 29, was seized by suspected militants in a hail of gunfire on the outskirts of the city of Multan in Punjab province on May 9, 2013, two days before the national election in which he was campaigning.
Gunmen on a motorbike opened fire before abducting Gilani in a black Honda car.
His secretary and a bodyguard were killed and four people wounded in the incident. (Tolo News)
