Eidul Azha had special significance for a Pak citizen

ISLAMABAD: Eid-ul-Azha had a special significance for a Pakistani citizen Dr Abuzar Muhammad Afzal, who had been kidnapped and held in captivity for over three months in Nigeria.

According to media reports from Nigeria, the Pakistani was taken hostage by a terrorist group. Dr Abuzar was among scores of passengers taken hostage in an attack on Abuja-Kaduna train on 28 March 2022. He is the only foreigner among seven hostages freed last night, and 13 others released a month ago.

“Highly relieved by safe release of national Abuzar M Afzal. We thank leadership, government and people of Nigeria for all their help. I also commend the efforts of everyone in Pakistan who worked tirelessly to ensure this outcome”, tweeted Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto on Sunday.

The Foreign Office, meanwhile, said that it appreciated the political and military leadership of Nigeria, as well as the coordination between the two ministries of Foreign Affairs and the High Commissions,culminating in the release of Dr Abuzar.

“Dr Abuzar has already reached Abuja and provided with Emergency Travel Document by the Pakistan High Commission to facilitate his journey to Pakistan later tonight, to be reunited with his family and loved ones in Multan coinciding with the happy occasion of Eid-ul-Azha”, said the spokesman at the Foreign Office.

A visibly happy Dr Abuzar in a video message from Kaduna City after his release thanked the governments of Pakistan and Nigeria, the negotiator and his employer, and everyone who contributed to the efforts for his freedom. “He also thanked the prime minister of Pakistan, the foreign minister, and the minister of State for Foreign Affairs for consistent endeavors to ensure his well-being and safe release,” added the Foreign Office.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated report, Pakistan and Afghanistan were the two Islamic states that Prime Minister Modi ignored while sending personal letters of greeting on Eid-ul-Azha. The Foreign Office ignored the slight.

Indian media reported that Modi sent Eid greetings to selected Islamic states which included, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Palestine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Comoros, Algeria, Morocco, Bangladesh, Turkey, Iran, Oman, Lebanon, Jordan, and Chad.

Ignoring Afghanistan officially could be that like the rest of the world, New Delhi has, as yet, not recognized the Taliban government. But ignoring its immediate neighbour Pakistan, on such a festive occasion, appeared to be in extremely poor taste.

In 2018, former prime minister Imran Khan had, while expressing his disappointment at Delhi’s decision to call off scheduled talks between the foreign ministers of both countries, tweeted, “Disappointed at the arrogant and negative response by India to my call for resumption of the peace dialogue. However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture,” without naming Modi.