Ali Haider Gilani, son of ex-premier Yousuf Raza Gilani, broke his silence about his kidnapping ordeal on Tuesday, saying he was abducted by al Qaeda, which wanted the release of some women from the family of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zwahiri in exchange for his freedom. Speaking to BBC Urdu at his Lahore residence, Gilani said he was in al Qaeda's captivity for three years. Ali Gilani was recovered last month in a joint operation carried out by Afghan and US forces from an al Qaeda compound in Afghanistan's Paktika province.
Ali Gilani says that during this time in captivity, an important member of al Qaeda who went by the name of Zia stayed with him. "al Qaeda was demanding the release of some women from Ayman al-Zwahiri's family in my exchange, and a hefty sum." He said although he had not received any threats prior to his abduction, he was told that he was being "followed".
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 and they told him that he (Haider Gilani) was their enemy. "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.
Gilani said he was first taken to Faisalabad and 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."
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."However his captives tore apart the pages whenever he wrote anything. "I prayed a lot. I used to think of my son and say I have to survive for him." 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'." Gilani said that he feared for his life every day. 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." It was a drone strike in January that prompted al Qaeda to hand Gilani over to the Taliban. "They handed me over to the Pakistani Taliban in the Shawal area, in North Waziristan to keep me safe." But soon after, the Pakistani army pushed into the area and the Taliban militants fled across the border to Afghanistan's Paktika province and took Gilani with them.
All through that time he was being watched closely by an al Qaeda operative who accompanied him wherever he went. His living conditions, however, improved with the Pakistani Taliban. "I wasn't chained, I was allowed to walk, to see the sun," he said. Gilani added that he was even given a radio: "I used to listen to the BBC, it was my contact to the outside world."
"The Taliban like cricket," he added. "One day I asked them for the radio to listen to a cricket match. It was the World Cup and Pakistan won a match against South Africa," he said. On 9 May, his captors told him they had to vacate the compound because they received a tip-off of an American air raid.
"We left at night and were walking for three or four hours when I heard helicopters then gunshots," he said. "I fell to the ground. Then a voice told me to take my shirt off, put my hands in the air and someone came and tied my hands. "I said 'My name is Ali Haider Gilani, I'm the son of the former prime minister. They didn't believe me at first but later they confirmed I was telling the truth," he said. Gilani said that he later learnt that the raid had targeted the al Qaeda militant.
"I was just lucky to be there," he said of his rescue. "It didn't sink in till I was in the helicopter; the guy from the US Forces said 'Mr Gilani, you're going home'." Gilani was moved to Bagram airbase and was met by senior Afghan generals. The next day he went to Kabul and saw his brother for the first time. "I was still in shock," he said. "A few hours ago, I was in the hands of the Taliban. I could die any moment. Now, I'm seeing my family."
When he arrived there his family was waiting. "First I hugged my mother. She was crying and I said 'it's over I'm back now.' Then I met my son. He'd changed so much, I didn't recognise him but he did. "I said 'Baby, I'm your father' and he told me 'I recognise you Baba'." Gilani says he is keen to move on with his life, he is writing a book where he will reveal more details about his time in captivity. He says he will eventually go back to politics. "It's in my blood," he says with a smile.