Amid joyous scenes, the son of slain Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who was rescued from the clutches of the Pakistani Taliban, was today reunited with his family here after nearly five years in captivity.
Shahbaz Taseer, 33, was flown to Lahore in a special aircraft, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) media wing of the military, said in a statement, a day after his dramatic rescue from the restive Balochistan province.
Photographs shared by DG, ISPR Asim Bajwa, showed Shahbaz had changed from the previous night's shalwar kameez into jeans and a polo shirt.
In the second photo, Shahbaz smiles as he points towards the camera and his beard appeared to have been trimmed.
Shahbaz, who was abducted in August, 2011, wasrecovered by security forces from a hotel on the outskirts of Kuchlak town in Quetta yesterday.
He was then shifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Quetta for a complete medical check-up.
News of his recovery brought immense joy to his family members and a large number of the Taseers' friends and relatives reached their Lahore residence and shared the happy moments with them.
"I am are very happy to have my brother among us. Thank God that our Shahbaz Taseer is recovered safely. We are also indebted to the security agencies for their effort to secure the release of Shahbaz," said Shahryar Taseer, younger brother of Shahbaz.
The family members also uploaded photos of the family reunion on Facebook and Twitter.
The Punjab government has provided fool-proof security to the Taseer family after threats from supporters of Mumtaz Qadri, the executed killer of Salman Taseer.
Qadri, the police commando who was on duty to guard the Punjab Governor, had shot Taseer dead in January, 2011, for his liberal views on the controversial blasphemy law.
Last week Qadri was hanged after President Mamnoon Hussain rejected his mercy plea. His supporters had held demonstrations against his hanging.
"We have already doubled the security of the Taseers after the execution of Qadri," DIG Operations Haider Ashraf told PTI.
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As news of Shahbaz's safe recovery broke, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari telephoned Shahryar and congratulated him on the recovery of his elder brother.
Bilawal's father Asif Ali Zardari and sisters Bakhtawar and Asifa also expressed their delight and congratulated the Taseer family.
They also appealed to the government to make efforts for the safe recovery of Ali Haider, son of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
"The release of Shahbaz Taseer after about five years of captivity is most welcome news not only for his family but also for the whole nation. It is hoped the son of former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani will also be released. It is hard to imagine the torture of uncertainty inflicted on a person and his family who is abducted and kept for about five years at an unknown location beyond any glimmer of hope and far beyond the reach of law," Bilawal said.
The Zardaris commended Shahbaz and his family for enduring the ordeal.
Gilani also congratulated the Taseer family on the safe recovery of Shahbaz and appreciated the role of the security agencies in this regard.
"I am very much happy for safe return of Shahbaz. I am also hopeful that the government will make extra effort for safe and early recovery of my son, Ali Haider," Gilani said.
Shahbaz was kidnapped by unidentified men in 2011 from Lahore's Gulberg area while he was driving when he was intercepted by the kidnappers.
The abductors who, according to witnesses, used a Prado jeep and a motorcycle, bundled the young Taseer into the vehicle and escaped unimpeded.
Similarly, Ali Haider was abducted by armed men in Multan just two days before the May, 2013 general election.
The PPP government failed to recover both young men who were believed to be kept by their kidnappers in the areas bordering Afghanistan.
The kidnappers of Shahbaz and Ali had reportedly demanded huge sums as ransom for their release.
Ali Haider's family had received his recorded voice message a couple of years ago in which he had appealed to the government, security agencies and the people of Pakistan to listen to the demands of his kidnappers.
