sahil saeed

British boy Sahil Saeed ‘rescued in Pakistan

Sahil Saeed, the five-year-old British boy kidnapped in Pakistan, has reportedly been rescued.

Sahil, from Oldham in Greater Manchester, was abducted a gang armed with guns and grenades from his grandmother’s house in Punjab a week ago.

Pakistani media this morning reported that Sahil had been rescued from the town of Sialkot.

The reports quoted a local Punjab Law Minister saying police had rescued Sahil and arrested two people, including a woman, over kidnapping charges. Close relatives were reportedly involved in the abduction.
Pakistani newspaper The Nation reported that Sahil had been sent back to the UK with his father Raja Naqqash Saeed.

Mr Saeed was with Sahil on the trip and had remained in the country amid efforts to rescue the boy. However yesterday it was reported Mr Saeed had returned home to the UK although his family in Oldham said they were unaware of the development. A member of the family this morning said they had not been informed of Sahil’s release.

Yesterday a family friend said they had been praying for Sahil’s return.

“They are just in there praying for the boy,” the friend said. “They are doing 125,000 prayer cycles and they are 3,000 in.”

The raiders struck as Sahil and his father were preparing to fly home last week, breaking into the family home in Jhelum and subjecting the family to a six-hour ordeal. Money and jewellery were stolen before they escaped in a taxi.

The Pakistani Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, called Sahil’s father at the weekend to assure him the family had the full support of his Government.

On Sunday the boy’s mother, Akila Naqqash, made a direct appeal to the abductors from the family home in Oldham to end their ordeal and let her son go.

In a message to the kidnappers, Ms Naqqash, 31, said: “I just want my son back. All is forgiven, I will forgive you. You may have children yourself. I forgive you.