Militants release video of Ali Haider Gilani

ISLAMABAD: In a recently released video, Ali Haider Gilani – the abducted son of former prime minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani – has said he is in custody of a militant group not part of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). According to a top government official, the group has demanded Rs2 billion in ransom and warned that they would kill him if their demand was not met within a month. “The government received a video of Haidar through a back channel. In the video, he is shown in shackles, and in very bad condition. He is criticising the government and his family for not doing enough for his release,” the government functionary told reporters on Friday. Ali Gilani was kidnapped on May 2, 2013 during an election rally in his hometown Multan. At the time of his abduction, in which his secretary and bodyguard had also got killed, a caretaker setup was in place to supervise the 2013 elections. The Gilani family says Ali underwent liver surgery in London in 2012 and was living on heavy medicines. Conflicting reports have been coming in the media about the fate of Ali and other high-profile persons picked up by militants. The recent video, which shows him alive, is therefore a good news for the family. Ali Gilani is among those people whose release is part of the agenda of the government and Taliban committees’ ongoing peace talks. The other two high-profile abductees are Shahbaz Taseer and Dr Ajmal. Sources privy to the recent TTP-government committees meetings said the release of Ali and other persons in militants’ custody had come under discussion several times. The government wanted to secure their release in exchange for ‘non combatant’ Taliban prisoners, they added. Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2014.