Pak ex-President Gilani’s son kidnapped; Taliban suspected

Ali Haider Gilani, the son of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, was yesterday taken hostage by armed men during a political rally in his home area of Multan.

Amid a spray of gunfire that killed a bodyguard, unidentified men on motorbikes sped up to the rally and kidnapped Gilani just as finished speaking to his People's Party of Pakistan supporters in the eastern town.

Party official Malik Aamir Dogar said amid the shooting, three men pushed Gilani into a car and drove away.

''When he finished the meeting, he went outside. Some people came on motorcycles and straight away started the firing. One guard was killed and Gilani's private secretary was injured in the incident,'' said Dogar.

Candidates have been holding their final rallies before voters head to the polls to elect a new national assembly on 11 May. Gilani was running for a provincial assembly seat in Multan.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari immediately condemned the attack, saying it was a ''reprehensible act of a cowardly enemy''. He called on the Election Commission and the caretaker government to ensure the elections are not hijacked by extremist elements.

The kidnapping is the latest incident in what has turned out to be the most violent election campaign in Pakistan's history.

Militants and extremists with differing objectives have attacked and killed candidates and party supporters in different areas of the country, targeting not only moderate and secular parties like the PPP, but also religious and nationalist parties.

Dogar, who called off his own political rally as a result of the attack, said the Taliban most likely was behind Gilani's abduction.

Multan city police chief Ghulam Muhammad Dogar, who is not related to Malik Aamir Dogar, said the police were moving swiftly to find the captors.

He said police have sealed all the roads joining the district of Multan, and that district police officers are out in force. He also noted that the police is making every effort to ensure that all vehicles crossing district boundaries are being checked.

Militant groups, such as the Sunni extremist Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and other pro-Taliban organisations, are known to operate in the southern Punjab area where Multan is located.

Despite the violence, elections are expected to go ahead as planned on 11 May.