Jhelum: A five-year-old British boy kidnapped at gunpoint during a family holiday in Pakistan nearly two weeks ago has been released safe and sound and is waiting to be reunited with his mother.
Sahil Saeed was taken from his grandmother`s house in the town of Jhelum, about 100 kilometres (65 miles) south of Islamabad, in the early hours of March 4 while preparing to leave with his Pakistani father to fly back to Britain.
"This is fantastic news. It brings to an end the traumatic ordeal faced by Sahil and his family," British High Commissioner (ambassador) Adam Thomson said in a statement read out by a spokesman for the diplomatic mission.
"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," he added.
British officials said the boy was "safe and sound" but gave no details on when, where or how he had been released, nor confirmed his precise whereabouts.
Pakistani police said the kidnappers had dropped off the child in a field on Tuesday, allowing officers to recover him, but said no arrests had been made.
Relatives said they were delighted that Sahil was safe, but family members in Pakistan vigorously denied claims that the kidnapping was an inside job.
Sahil`s mother, Akila Naqqash, who had begged for his release, spoke to her son and is waiting for him to return to his home in Oldham, northern England.
"They are overjoyed," said a police liaison officer at the family home.
"Mother has spoken on the telephone and spoke to him for some time, a private conversation. He is safe and well.
"But the family do not want to say anything, they want to wait until he comes back," the officer added.
Celebrating relatives in Pakistan handed out sweets in Jhelum to friends, neighbours and family members offering their congratulations.
"I am thankful to God that he has been recovered. We are so happy," his grandmother Tasneem Bashir said to a news agency.
Relatives said Sahil was taken by robbers who stole jewellery and cash and demanded a 120,000-dollar ransom.
Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik reiterated Tuesday that the family could have been behind the abduction but police said there was no evidence that relatives had been involved and added that the child was recovered in a field.
"Presently, we don`t know about the suspects or culprits," Aslam Tareen, regional police chief, told reporters.
"He was released to us. We were informed about the whereabouts and he was left there... in a field in Denga village," he said.
"He is quite well, he is playing, we have arranged some toys for him," said Tareen, adding that he did not know whether a ransom was paid.
Doctors confirmed the boy was fit and well, saying he was under police protection and accompanied by British officials.
"I have examined the boy and he is completely all right," medic Hafeez-ur-Rehman said to a news agency.
Kidnappings of Westerners are rare in Pakistan but abductions of locals are common.
They are often related to family quarrels, love affairs, property disputes or simple quests for money -- particularly for the wealthier victims -- by criminal gangs, some of whom are connected to Islamist militant networks.
Sahil`s Pakistani father had said the kidnappers stormed the house armed with guns and grenades, subjecting the family to a six-hour ordeal while he and his son were preparing to take a taxi to the airport and fly home.
Police quickly detained the taxi driver and had said they were confident of recovering the child.
Bureau Report
