FAISALABAD, Feb 25: A relative of the aggrieved party in a murder case, who was kidnapped by the convict’s family to broker a deal for pardon, reached his home after a month.

It is learnt that the two parties have reached an agreement, though verbal yet, and the Supreme Court has helped rescue the youth.

Zaid Saleem, nephew of deceased Muhammad Riaz, was kidnapped by the near ones of convict Rana Saqib alias Saqi on Jan 24. The suspects then pressured the victim’s family to pardon Saqib. Earlier, the culprits had picked up the deceased’s son to seek pardon of the family, resorting to the draconian act of oppressing the oppressed.

According to reports, Rana Saqib had murdered Muhammad Riaz, a former member of the district council, in 1989 over a minor issue.

Police registered a case against Saqib and a local court awarded him capital punishment. Subsequently, all the superior courts upheld the decision and the president also rejected the mercy petitions.

Warrants for the execution of Rana Saqib were issued twice but his family succeeded in getting some time owing to stay orders issued by various courts on the plea of pardon deals with the victim family.

In August 2005, the case took a new turn when some close relatives of Saqib kidnapped Muhammad Asim, son of deceased Riaz, to force the family to pardon the convict. The police were informed about the incident and over a dozen suspects were rounded up, which effectuated Asim’s release.

All efforts of the victim’s family to come to terms with the aggrieved proved futile. As a last resort, the family kidnapped deceased’s nephew Zaid Saleem. The prime minister, governor and the chief minister directed the local police teams to recover Zaid but the police failed to find any clue to the kidnappers.

Finally, the police sought help of a local politician to force the family of Rana Saqib to release Zaid but that, too, proved futile.

On Thursday last, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo moto notice of the kidnap of the youth and directed the Faisalabad police to recover him within a week.

Sources said on the intervention of the apex court, the police involved three more politicians — former MNA Mian Abdul Mannan, former Senator Mian Muhammad Farooq and Jaranwala Tehsil Nazim Mian Muhammad Akram — besides former DIG Jails Nasir Mahmood Warraich, to tackle the issue.

They played the role of middlemen in the whole episode and succeeded in convincing the victim’s family that the convict’s pardon would be pleaded.

Sources revealed that as Riaz’s family had no option but to accept the ‘proposal-cum-threat’ of Saqib’s family, the latter assured the politicians of safe return of Zaid. After this deal, the kidnappers dropped the youth outside his house at Khayaban Colony in People’s Colony police station precinct.

Sources quoted Zaid as informing the police and his relatives that he was picked up from Madina Town, hardly a few meters from a police post by four persons and was shifted to a outhouse of a politician in Sheikhupura where he was kept for two weeks. After that, he was shifted to a luxury house in Lahore under shadow of guns by the kidnappers and was not allowed to talk to his family members.

He stated that he was not tortured and was provided with meals, fruit and even cigarettes. After some days in Lahore, he was shifted to another outhouse at Mandi Yazam from where he was again shifted to Lahore on Feb 20.

Sources said the victim’s family would record its statement before the local court on the next date of hearing to pardon convict.

The local police circles and the intelligentsia are of the view that the involvement of politicians in the case made it a tough job for the police to make some headway.

“All said and done, the victim’s family has succeeded in its mission thanks to the politicians who forced the victims to make a compromise,” said they.