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Akila Naqqash, at her home in the UK, holds a picture of her son Sahil who was kidnapped in Pakistan - Source: Reuters -
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A British boy who was kidnapped in Pakistan earlier this month
has been released, a relative said on Tuesday.
"He is safe," says Raja Basharat, the five-year-old boy's
grand-uncle.
"We are very happy. Thank God he is safe and sound."
Police in Jhelum, the town where Sahil Saeed was kidnapped, say the
gunmen who abducted him after holding relatives at gunpoint for
several hours took away $2480 (150,000 rupees) and some gold and
later demanded around $167,289 (10 million rupee) ransom.
The circumstances around his release were not clear.
"It is fantastic news which brings an end to the traumatic ordeal
faced by Sahil and his family," the British High Commissioner in
Islamabad says.
"I would like to praise the high-level of cooperation between UK
and Pakistani authorities and in particular, I would like to thank
the Jhelum police for their role in bringing about the safe return
of Sahil."
Interior Minister Rehman Malik says he suspected relatives were
involved in the kidnapping, which made big news in the British
media
Kidnapping is a major problem in Pakistan and many of the crimes go
unreported.
Police have say Taliban militants use ransoms from kidnappings
to fund their insurgency against the US-backed government.
But there were no signs that the latest kidnapping was linked to
militants.
