Freed son of Pakistan’s former prime minister returns home after three-year hostage ordeal
Ali Haider Gilani, son of Yousaf Raza Gilani, was rescued during a counterterror raid by US and Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan.
The freed son of a former Pakistani premier reunited with his family in a shower of rose petals in Lahore on Wednesday, three years after he was kidnapped then taken to Afghanistan.
Ali Haider Gilani, son of Yousaf Raza Gilani, was rescued during a counterterror raid by US and Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday.
Crowds of well-wishers dancing to drum beats greeted the 30-year-old’s arrival at his family’s home in Lahore in a black SUV strewn with pink rose petals.
Gilani, who is a triplet, was accompanied by his brother Ali Kasim on the journey from Kabul in a plane that the Pakistani foreign ministry said was sent by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
His father was reportedly absent from the reunion, with television channels reporting his appearance in a court in Islamabad on corruption charges.
“I really appreciate the ... Afghan forces efforts,” Gilani, bearded and wearing a white T-shirt and camouflage baseball cap, told media at a ceremony earlier on Wednesday in Kabul.
I would also like to thank the US forces which at the critical moments of my release provided me with shelter, food and medical care