Ali Haider Gilani: 'I was chained for two years'

Ali Haider Gilani with his son before he was kidnapped

Ali Haider Gilani was rescued in Afghanistan three years after al-Qaeda militants abducted him from his hometown of Multan in Pakistan. 

He was campaigning for a provincial seat in parliamentary elections for the Pakistan People's Party. He opened up for the first time about his time in captivity and the dramatic turn of events that led to his release.

Ali Haider Gilani believe his capture was for revenge on his father, the former prime minister

The Gilani family home in Lahore is fortified; high metal gates, armed guards and what looks like bullet proof four-wheel cars. This is, after all, the house of former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. But recently the family welcomed back Ali Haider Gilani, his son, after three years of being an al-Qaeda prisoner.

Mr Gilani was handed over to the Taliban after a series of drone strikes

Mr Gilani said that apart from the ransom and the demands to release high profile al-Qaeda prisoners, his abductors told him that the abduction was aimed directly at his father.

"Mr Gilani, you're going home" said US forces to Mr Gilani upon his rescue

"My father was prime minister when their leader Osama Bin Laden was killed. He also started an operation in South Waziristan. They told me they wanted to take revenge," he said.

Day-to-day survival

Mr Gilani was first taken to the industrial town of Faisalabad in Punjab province. He was then moved to the tribal areas of North Waziristan.  "I was chained for two years," he said.

"I was kept in a small room, not allowed to see the sky for one year and two months. I forgot how the sun felt on my skin." Mr Gilani said he had a diary where he tried to keep track of time and jot down day-to-day thoughts: "It kept me sane."

"I prayed a lot. I used to think of my son and say I have to survive for him." His son, Mohamed Jamaluddin, was a toddler when Mr Gilani was abducted.

He said one of the most difficult things about his captivity was knowing that he had missed key moments in his son's life like his first day of school and his birthdays.

While the al-Qaeda militants did not physically torture him, Ali Haider said they tried to break him mentally.
"They'd tell me 'you're not a Muslim, your father is not a Muslim, you'll go to hell, your family aren't doing anything to help you'."

Mr Gilani said that he feared for his life every day.

Handover to the Taliban

The Pakistani army has gone after Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in this area for years and has intensified their campaign since July 2014. There was always the fear of an air raid and drone strikes.
"I was in a warzone," Mr Gilani said

"There were drones, tanks, mortar and jet strikes. Drones have a horrible sound, it's like a huge bee constantly hovering over you. It wasn't just one drone, there were three, four or five at one time roaming day and night."