US, Afghan forces rescue kidnapped son of ex-Pak PM Gilani

The son of Pakistan's ex-prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was today rescued from the clutches of Taliban in a joint operation by the US and Afghan forces in Afghanistan, three years after he was abducted from his hometown in Pakistan's Punjab province.
Ali Haider Gilani "has been recovered today in a joint operation carried out by the Afghan and US security forces in Ghazni, Afghanistan," Pakistan's foreign office said in a statement.
Afghan National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar informed Sartaj Aziz, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, about the news in a telephone call, it said.
"Ali Haider Geelani's transfer to Pakistan is being arranged following required medical check-up," it said.

Today's development comes two months after the kidnapped son of slain Punjabi governor Salman Taseer was rescued by Pakistani forces in an operation near Quetta.
The news of the rescue of Haider, believed to be in his 30s, was broken by Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Twitter.
"(former) PM Gilani received a call from ambassador of Afghanistan. His son Ali Haider Gilani has been recovered in a successful operation," Bilawal said.