Ali Haider Gilani, son of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani,
said on Monday that General Raheel Sharif is the only person in Pakistan who is
feared by the Taliban.
“Just met COAS General Raheel Sharif. I told him he is the only person in
Pakistan Taliban fear. Brave soldier,” he tweeted. Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani together with
his son Ali Haider Gilani met with Army chief General Raheel Sharif to laud the
efforts of the Army which led to his recovery. Ali Haider Gilani was rescued during a counter-terror raid by US and
Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan on May 10 this year.
He was kidnapped by militants in the outskirts of Multan on May 9, 2013,
just two days before a bitterly contested national election in which he was
campaigning.
NATO confirmed Gilani was rescued in the Giyan district of Paktika
province by US Special Operations Forces and Afghan commandos. Following
his abduction, Gilani was first taken to the industrial town of Faisalabad
after which he was moved to North Waziristan.
Not long after his release, Gilani opened up about his three years
spent in al Qaeda and Taliban captivity. He also opened up about the
dramatic turn of events that led to his release.
It was a drone strike in January that led al Qaeda to hand Gilani
over to the Taliban. But soon after, the Pakistan Army pushed into
the area and the Taliban militants fled across the border to Afghanistan,
taking Gilani with them.All through that time he was being watched closely
by an al Qaeda operative who accompanied him wherever he went.
