Kidnapped children return as adults

Two Britons kidnapped by their father when they were infants and taken to Pakistan 20 years ago have finally came home.

David and Sophia Akbar, who do not speak English, are now rebuilding their lives in Britain with the help of their mother who thought she would never see them again.

David, then three, and 16-month-old sister Sophia were snatched from their back garden in Huddersfield by their father Mohammed Akbar and put on a flight to Pakistan in August 1982.

The children flew into Manchester airport on Friday for an emotional reunion with their mother Andrea Annat.

For Mrs Annat, who has spent the past two decades searching for her son and daughter, it marked the end of a nightmare. For hundreds of mothers in the UK whose children have been kidnapped and taken abroad – often to the Indian subcontinent or to Arabic states – her tale will provide some comfort, knowing that in this case at least mothers can eventually be reunited with their children.

Mrs Annat must now begin the process of rebuilding her own relationship with David and Sophia. Their own children and partners remain in Pakistan awaiting visa applications to come to the UK. The crisis over Kashmir and the withdrawal of British embassy staff from Pakistan has put their visa requests on hold.

"I just can't believe they are finally home. It's so lovely," said Mrs Annat yesterday.

She was in the process of divorcing Mohammed Akbar when he arrived on her doorstep to take care of the children for the day. "They were both in their pyjamas. They just ran out into the garden. It was a nice sunny day. It was 19 August 1982. That was the last I saw of them," she recalled.

"In the afternoon, the police got back to me and said they had checked the airports. But it was too late. He had passports made and had them on a flight to Pakistan that afternoon. About a week later I got a telegram to say Akbar, David and Sophia had arrived safely in Pakistan."

Mrs Annat went out to Pakistan, accompanied by her solicitor, to find them. She made several trips, obtained custody in both UK and Pakistan courts but was unable to trace the children There were no leads, only silence.

"I ended up getting a Pakistan lawyer out there but 20 years later I was still no further than the day I first went," she said, "Stuart, my second husband, was really supportive. We had other children and I told them that they had another brother and sister. They were never forgotten."

The breakthrough came when Sophia, curious to trace her mother, began writing letters to various agencies four years ago. The Salvation Army's family tracing service – with only Mrs Annat's maiden name and home town to go on – tracked her down. They wrote to her last year saying her daughter was trying to get in touch. For Mrs Annat, the letter was a bolt out of the blue that led to Friday's remarkable scenes .

"Now we have to find them somewhere to live," said Mrs Annat. "They have got nothing at all. But at least I have got my children back."

*Anyone wishing to help Mrs Annat with the costs of setting up her children in homes in the UK can send cheques to her at her home: 21 Cherry Nook Road, Deighton, Huddersfield, HD2 1JD.