LAHORE: Aamna Taseer, widow of slain Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, has said her abducted son Shahbaz Taseer has never been involved in politics and is a ‘non-combatant’.

“My family is not in politics. My son is an innocent victim of the violence that has plagued our country in recent years,” she said in a statement issued here on Tuesday.

She prayed for the success of the government’s talks with the Taliban and the early return of all innocent people suffering because of the conflict. She also praised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for making the return of her son and other captives a priority in the dialogue with the militants.

Former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani has said his son Ali Haider was also a non-combatant and prayed for the success of the ‘peace talks’.

The Pakistan People’s Party is building pressure on the PML-N government to ensure the release of Shahbaz Taseer, Ali Haider Gilani and some other non-combatant prisoners said to be in the custody of the Taliban. The PPP chided the government for releasing the Taliban ‘non-combatant’ prisoners without ensuring the release of civilians.

Shahbaz Taseer was kidnapped by unidentified men in August 2011 in Lahore’s Gulberg area. Similarly, Ali Haider was abducted by armed men in Multan just two days before the May 11, 2013, election.