MULTAN: A top Taliban delegation brought Ali Haider Gilani to Islamabad and ceded him to the Gilani family last week with the condition of not disclosing his arrival until a suitable time to avoid reaction on missing of Shahbaz Taseer, son of former governor Salman Taseer.
The return of Shahbaz Taseer is not confirmed, well-placed sources confided to The News. “Sayeen has backed. The Gilani family has a right to conceal the recovery of Ali Haider Gilani after his two years captivity by Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and al-Qaeda networks. I have a strong belief that the concealment is justified,” Gilani family insider told The News Wednesday.
However, Yusuf Gilani in a press release appearing in local Urdu newspapers, rejected recovery of Ali Haider Gilani, saying it was disinformation. Gilani said he was busy in Islamabad due to his sisters’ sickness. “No Gilani family member knows about Ali Haider or his whereabouts. Neither we have been informed about him nor have we any information about his recovery,” Gilani said in the statement.
The sources revealed that top Taliban delegation members Abbas Stanekzai, Qari Din Muhammad Hanif and Moulvi Jalil brought Ali Haider Gilani from Afghanistan to Islamabad and handed him over to Gilani family. They refused to provide further details about Taliban delegation, saying the diplomatic norms do not allow disclosing whereabouts of delegation members visiting Pakistan on regional peace mission and all movements are kept extremely secret. “The Gilani family might reveal the recovery at a suitable time. The Gilani family has only two options; shifting Ali Haider abroad or revealing his recovery,” Gilani family insiders said. Sources said former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani started efforts for safe recovery of his son in May last when he along with former president jointly visited Kabul to congratulate the newly elected Afghan regime.
Yusuf Gilani returned with hopes
from Afghanistan as the Afghan government had assured cooperation. “The Afghan government has assured that all cooperation for recovery of my son as well as son of former governor,” Gilani told journalists on his arrival from Afghanistan in May last.
Gilani said he and former president Asif Zardari had gone to Afghanistan to congratulate President Ashraf Ghani and the new Afghan government. He said during the meetings, recovery of the kidnapped people also came under discussion and the Afghan leaders assured their full cooperation. Sources said Yusuf Gilani had met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in February last and sought his help for recovery of his son. Nawaz had assured of his best efforts in this regard.