Journalists gather during a news conference given by regional police chief Aslam Tarin near the compound of the family residence of five-year-old British boy Sahil Saeed in Jhelum. Saeed, who was kidnapped nearly two weeks ago while on vacation in Pakistan, was freed unharmed by his abductors on Tuesday, after a ransom was paid, officials said, ending a high-profile ordeal. –Reuters Photo

That young Sahil Saeed, the British national kidnapped from Jhelum about two weeks ago, was freed unharmed on Tuesday is cause for great relief. While it is unclear whether ransom was paid, the local police claim that they piled enough pressure on the abductors to force the child’s release.
The authorities say that efforts are under way to trace the kidnappers and establish their identity, and it is hoped that they will be brought to justice. However, the relatively speedy recovery of Sahil is an indictment of local law-enforcement authorities in terms of the hundreds of other kidnapping cases that remain unresolved.

Sahil’s nationality and the focused attention of the international media led to cooperation being offered by the Greater Manchester Police of Britain and diplomatic channels. Other such victims and their families are not so fortunate. In the first two months of this year alone, 240 people were kidnapped across the country; only 74 have so far been recovered. While not all are kidnappings for ransom, the onus remains on the law-enforcement agencies to trace the victims and bring the perpetrators of the crimes to justice. Most of the families of children and adults who have been missing for far longer than Sahil have neither diplomatic support nor pledges of assistance. They deserve similar attention from the government and law-enforcement authorities.

There is also another angle to be considered: kidnapping for ransom is one of the methods used by the terrorist network to raise funds. The tactic has been used by suspected religious extremists in the abduction cases of Satish Anand, Shaukat Afridi and Aqeel Haji, for example. It is likely that it is similarly being used by criminal and proscribed outfits in other parts of the country. Resolving kidnapping cases must therefore be considered a priority in terms of reducing crime levels as well as dismantling the terrorist infrastructure.

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