LAHORE // The son of a former Pakistani prime minister who was freed from kidnappers in a dramatic military rescue in Afghanistan was flown back home Wednesday and reunited with family, officials and family members said.
Earlier in the day, Ali Haidar Gilani was brought by helicopter to the Afghan ministry of defence in Kabul, where he was greeted with hugs and handshakes by Pakistani ambassador Abrar Hussain. The Pakistani government had sent a special plane sent to Kabul to bring former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani’s son back.
The younger Mr Gilani was rescued during a joint US-Afghan commando raid on an Al Qaeda compound near the Pakistani border on Tuesday, after three years of captivity by militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
After a night at a military base near Kabul where he underwent medical check-ups, he arrived at the ministry with long hair and a heavy beard, wearing a T-shirt, combat trousers and a baseball cap.
Speaking in halting English, he thanked Afghan forces for “their sacrifice for someone from another country” and also US forces for providing shelter, food and medical care.
After touching down in Lahore, he waved to cameras but refused to talk to reporters, saying only that he was looking forward getting back to normal life.
Yusuf Raza Gilani served as prime minister from 2008 to 2012, during which time his Pakistan People’s Party government led several military offensives against the Taliban and allied militants.
Outside the Lahore airport, party supporters beat drums and danced and threw rose petals as the SUV with Ali Haidar, his 6-year-old son sitting in his lap, passed by.
“We are thankful to God,” said Ali Haidar’s older brother, Abdul Qadir.
The younger Gilani’s rescue had been a “nice surprise”, Brig Gen Charles Cleveland, the spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, said earlier.
It was not known that Mr Gilani was being held at the location where the raid was taking place in the Gayan district of Paktika province, along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan.
US secretary of defence Ash Carter praised the rescue, calling it “an excellent example of the strong security and intelligence partnership between Afghan and US forces”.
* Associated Press
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
MOTHER%20OF%20STRANGERS
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Suad%20Amiry%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Pantheon%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20304%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
