Family's relief at kidnapped boy's release

The family of a British boy kidnapped in Pakistan say they are relieved at his release.


Sahil Saeed, five, was snatched from a house in the Punjab region in the north of the country on March 4 after robbers held his relatives hostage at gunpoint. He was set free in Kharian City early on Tuesday and was found wandering alone in a field.


His mother Akila Naqqash said: "It was amazing. At first I thought it was not true.


"I talked to him on the phone, my little boy. And I thought: 'That's my little boy'. And then it reassured me that he has been found and has been released by the kidnappers, and that's enough for me."


Sahil is understood to still be in Pakistan and his return is being organised by the British High Commission in Islamabad. It is thought family members will fly out to be reunited with him in Pakistan before he is flown back to the UK.


Assistant Chief Constable Dave Thompson of Greater Manchester Police said a "fast-moving international investigation" was under way involving police in Pakistan and Britain in an effort to bring the kidnappers to justice.