Ali Haider Gilani: Son of former Pakistan prime minister freed three years after being kidnapped

Last year, the elder Gilani said the kidnappers demanded the release of several al-Qaida prisoners in exchange for his son

Ali Haider Gilani, son of former Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, speaks at a house on the outskirts of Multan on 9 May, 2013, before his abduction (Reuters)

The son of the former Pakistan prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has been freed from Taliban kidnappers by US and Afghan forces.

Ali Haider Gilani was abducted by unknown assailants on 9 May 2013 when eight armed men opened fire at a meeting in Farrukhabad and dragged Ali Haider into a car.

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari confirmed the former premier’s son’s recovery. “PM Yousuf Raza Gilani received a call from ambassador of Afghanistan.

"His son Haider Gilani has been recovered in a successful operation,” the PPP chairman said on Twitter

Pakistan's foreign ministry said the Afghan National Security Adviser, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, told Pakistan's foreign affairs adviser, Sartaj Aziz, in a telephone call that Ali Hiader Gilani was found on Tuesday and is safe.

Gilani, believed to be in his thirties, is the son of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani whose secular anti-Taliban Pakistan People's Party's led several major offensives against militants.

Last year, the elder Gilani said the kidnappers demanded the release of several al-Qaida prisoners in exchange for his son.

Gunmen kidnapped the younger Gilani in May 2013, several days before the general elections in Pakistan.

Additional reporting by agencies