Former PM Gilani speaks to abducted son for first time in 2 years

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AFP
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Former PM Gilani speaks to abducted son for first time in 2 years
MULTAN: Former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani spoke to his abducted son Ali Haider Gilani over telephone on Sunday for the first time since he was kidnapped two years ago.

Speaking to a Geo News correspondent, the former prime minister confirmed that he had spoken to Ali Haider Gilani over a telephone call that lasted about eight minutes.

Gilani said that his son was safe, and that he was "in high spirits".

"My son Ali Haider Gilani told me that he is happy and safe at (an) unknown place," said Yousaf Raza Gilani after the phone call.

"He enquired about the health of his mother and other family members. He declined to disclose more and said that Almighty Allah will surely help us. He said that he is safe and sound and we should not be worried about him."

The former PM was in Multan along with former foreign minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who also spoke to Ali Gilani over the phone.

"The call was made from (an) unknown place, probably from Afghanistan. Gilani (junior) told me that he is happy and in the safest place and that he was seeking God´s help to see his family soon," Qureshi told reporters.

Ali Gilani, 29, was kidnapped from Multan on May 9, 2013 while campaigning on the last day of his election campaign for his candidacy for Multan’s PP-200 constituency. His secretary and guard were shot dead in the attack by unknown gunmen.

Since then, media reports suggested that he was taken by his kidnappers first to the country’s lawless tribal areas, and then reportedly shifted from North Waziristan to Afghanistan’s Kunar province after the launch of a military operation in the tribal areas.

Earlier this month, Yousuf Raza Gilani was part of a delegation led by former president Asif Zardari to Kabul, where the former premier sought the release of his abducted son after getting clues to his possible presence in Afghanistan.

Gilani was reported to have also sought the release of Shahbaz Taseer, the abducted son of slain Punjab Governor Salman Taseer who is also reported to have been taken to Afghanistan.

When asked by our correspondent today, Gilani confirmed that he had also pushed for Taseer’s release, but that he only spoke his own son today over phone.

Shahbaz Taseer was kidnapped in August 2011 and is reported to have also been taken across the border to Afghanistan.