Lahore, May 10
With the Pakistani police yet to make any breakthrough in their efforts to trace Ali Haider, former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani today sought ISI's help to locate his son, who was kidnapped by heavily armed men in Multan.

Ali Haider Gilani

"We have not yet received any call from the kidnappers. I ask the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) to help the police trace my son," Gilani told reporters.

Six to eight armed men kidnapped 27-year-old Ali Haider yesterday while he was campaigning for Saturday’s national election in Multan district. His personal secretary and a bodyguard were shot and killed by the gunmen.

A source in Punjab Police told PTI that a faction of the Punjabi Taliban could be behind the kidnapping. "A Punjabi Taliban group based in Mian Chanu, 80 km from Multan district, is believed to be involved in the kidnapping of Ali Haider Gilani," the source said.

Gilani is one of the top leaders of the Pakistan People's Party, which led the last government at the centre.

The PPP had for long been pressing the Punjab government to take action against the Punjabi Taliban holed up in the southern part of the province. It emerged today that Ali Haider had received threats from the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba.

Though no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, Gilani and other members of his family told The Express Tribune that Ali Haider had been receiving "death and kidnapping threats" from the LeJ and Sipah-e-Sahaba.

The police has arrested five suspects in Multan and officials claimed two of them had "important information" about the kidnapping.

While there was no official word on the interrogation of the suspects, The Tribune quoted its sources as saying that Ali Haider had been taken by his abductors to Kabeerwaala, considered a stronghold of the LeJ.

The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan refused to comment on the abduction. "I do not want to comment (on the incident). We do not know as to who has kidnapped him, and why and how he was kidnapped," said Taliban spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan. — PTI

He got threats from LeJ and Sipah-e-Sahaba

Former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani’s son Ali Haider had received threats from the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba. Though no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, Gilani and other members of his family told a Pakistani daily that Ali Haider had been receiving “death and kidnapping threats” from the LeJ and Sipah-e-Sahaba. The LeJ has been linked to a series of high-profile terrorist acts, including the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore and two deadly bomb attacks in Quetta earlier this year that killed nearly 200 people, a majority of them Hazara Shias.

Islamabad, May 10
Violence continued unabated a day ahead of Pakistan’s landmark General Election, with 15 persons killed in a bombing and an attack by pro-Taliban militants in the country’s restive northwest today.

Bomb blasts also targeted political workers and offices in Peshawar, Quetta and several other places in Balochistan province.

Three persons were killed and 12 others injured when a blast ripped through the market of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan tribal region.

In the restive Kurram tribal region, three security personnel were killed when militants attack on a check post.

Nine militants were killed in retaliatory action by the security forces, officials said.

In Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, five persons were injured when a grenade was lobbed at an election office of Pakistan Peoples Party leader Umar Gorgaij. Several vehicles were damaged in the attack on Brewery Road. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors said they were out of danger. — PTI

Islamabad, May 10
Former Pakistan cricket star Imran Khan's party was enjoying a late surge of support on Friday, the eve of a landmark election, raising the prospect of a fragmented Parliament that could lead to weeks of haggling to form a coalition government.

The failure of the major parties to capture a commanding lead raises the risk a weak government will emerge, clouding optimism over the first transition between civilian governments in a country that has been ruled by the military for more than half its history.

The party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif looks set to win the most seats, returning Sharif to power 14 years after he was ousted in a military coup, imprisoned and later exiled. But Imran could end up holding the balance of power if there is no clear-cut winner. In a sign of his popularity, 35,000 supporters turned up on Thursday at a rally in Islamabad that he didn't even attend.

"While Imran was initially handicapped by the lack of party organisation and the absence of a formal presence at the provincial level, he managed to overcome these challenges by establishing a network of volunteers who have campaigned frenetically and held massive public rallies in recent weeks," said Shamila Chaudhary, senior editor at Eurasia Group.

Imran, Pakistan's most well-known sportsmen who led a playboy lifestyle in his younger days, has emerged as a tough challenger to dynastic politicians who have relied heavily on a patronage system to win votes and are often accused of corruption. — Reuters

Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari has cast his vote for Pakistan's general election through postal ballot, the presidential spokesman said on Friday. Zardari cast his vote by postal ballot in the southern port city of Karachi, spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.