Owais Shah among lucky celebrities recovered safely after being abducted

LAHORE: Kidnapping is deemed a horrible crime all over the world but luckily, not all of these stories have ended in tragedy as we have seen in the cases of Messrs Owais Ali Shah, kidnapped son of Sindh High Court Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, former Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani's son Ali Haider Gilani and the late Punjab Governor Salman Taseer’s son Shahbaz Taseer, all of whom were recovered safely by the Pakistani intelligence agencies and security forces.

Owais Shah’s nightmare and ordeal had ended after he was recovered Tuesday from Tank area in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa by the country’s spy agencies.

Recovered from Afghanistan's Ghazni province in May 2016, Ali Haider Gilani was abducted three years ago from Multan, just days before the May 2013 general elections.

Shahbaz Taseer, the son of slain Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, was recovered by security and intelligence forces from Balochistan’s Kuchlak area in May 2016, nearly five years after his abduction in 2011.

As research tells us, it is not always necessary that the abducted eminent personalities are recovered or released safely.  For example, the former Italian Prime Minister, Aldo Moro (1916-1978), was murdered by his abductors after he was kidnapped on March 16, 1978.

Premier Aldo Moro, who was captured by a Marxist-Leninist guerilla organisation and killed after 55 days of captivity on May 9, 1978, had served as head of the Italian government from 1963 to 1968, and then from 1974 to 1976. He was one of Italy's longest-serving post-war prime ministers, holding power for a combined total of more than six years.

Here follows a brief list of some famous and affluent internationally-known personalities who were fortunately recovered or released after being abducted:

Former Held Kashmir Chief Mufti Sayeed’s 23-year old daughter and incumbent Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s sister Dr. Rubaiya Sayeed was kidnapped at 3:45 p.m. on December 8, 1989, about 500 metres from her home when she was returning from the Lal Ded Memorial Women’s Hospital in a local mini bus.

Mufti Sayeed was serving as Indian Home Minister in the Premier V.P. Singh government at that time. Just five days after Mufti had assumed charge as Indian Home Minister, he had to come across this agonising challenge.

Rubaiya was allegedly abducted by members of the Jammu and Kshmir Liberation Front. The kidnappers had demanded the release of five of their jailed colleagues in exchange for Rubaiya's release. The Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah did not want to capitulate, but Premier V.P. Singh had accepted their demands and freed the jailed militants or freedom fighters—whatever one wishes to call them.

The then Held Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah had to cut short his holiday in London and had to rush to Delhi.

Those released from the jail included Sheikh Abdul Hameed, a JKLF “area commander” Ghulam Nabi Butt, younger brother of the late Maqbool Butt, Noor Muhammad Kalwal, Muhammed Altaf; and Javed Ahmed Zargar.

On December 13, 1989, Rubaiya Sayeed was set free, two hours after the government had released the five jailed comrades.

On December 17, 1981, a 50-year old American General, James Lee Dozier, was kidnapped along with his wife by a Marxist terrorist group in Italy. He was working for NATO.

General Dozier and wife were released on January 28, 1982.

In 1960, globally-acclaimed French industrialist and founder of Peugeot Cars, Armand Peugeot’s grandson Eric Peugeot was kidnapped at the age of four in Paris.

He was returned after payment of a ransom, and his kidnappers were arrested a few years later.

Ingrid Betancourt, a Colombian Presidential candidate, was kidnapped on February 2, 2003 and held captive until 2008.

Singer Frank Sinatra Junior, the son of legendary American musician Frank Sinatra, was kidnapped on December 8, 1963.

The 19-year old was released just two days later, after his father had paid the $240,000 ransom demanded by the kidnappers, who were then captured, prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced to lengthy prison terms for kidnapping and ransoming the son of one of the greatest celebrities in history.

On February 4, 1974, the 19-year old Patricia Campbell Hearst, the heiress of the renowned American mass media firm Messrs Hearst Corporation, earning revenues of over $10 billion in 2014, was kidnapped from her apartment by a left-wing guerilla group.

After being isolated and threatened with death, she became supportive of their cause under duress, making propaganda announcements for them and taking part in illegal activities, and on April 15, 1974, she had taken part in a bank robbery. 

Captured by the American FBI in September 1975, Hearst was sentenced to 35 years in prison for bank robbery. She served 22 months and was released from prison on February 1, 1979. Hearst's sentence was commuted by President Jimmy Carter and President Bill Clinton had finally granted her a full pardon on January 20, 2001.

Similarly, Victor Li Tzar Kuoi, son of a billionaire Hong Kong tycoon, Li Ka Shing, was also kidnapped and released by his captors, but not before his father had paid a world record ransom amount of  US$134 million. The kidnapper was later captured and executed in 2000.