The son of a former prime minister of Pakistan returned from Afghanistan Wednesday a day after he was rescued from al-Qaida-linked kidnappers in a military operation.
A special Pakistani aircraft brought Ali Haider Gilani back from Kabul and landed at the airport in the eastern city of Lahore where family members received him amid tight security.
Hundreds of supporters and relatives welcomed him at his family residence as he returned home after three years in captivity and showered rose petals on his car.
Pakistani televisions broadcast the images live during the journey of his convoy from the airport.
Gilani was abducted at gunpoint during an election rally in his southern home town of Multann three years ago before he was taken across the porous Afghan border.
A joint U.S.-Afghan counterterrorism commando operation recovered Gilani from an al-Qaida compound in the Paktika province bordering Pakistan in a pre-dawn raid on Tuesday.
He was then transferred to the U.S.-controlled Bagram military base where he spent the night and underwent medical check-ups, according to U.S. and Afghan officials.