Sahil Saeed: Taliban, Sobbing Mum, A jacket Potato And Sahil Shaeed
SAHIL Saeed Watch: Anorak’s at-a-glance round-up of the kidnapped British boy in the news. Sahil, from Oldham, was kidnapped in Pakistan. He is being held for a £100,000 ransom. Now read on…
It’s front-page news on the Times and The Guardian, the latter reporting that this one could run and run:
Salma Jafar, head of programmes for Save the Children UK in Pakistan, said child kidnapping was a huge problem. She said: “Children may be kidnapped for trafficking for child labour or for sexual exploitation, and are also sometimes kidnapped because of family disputes.
“Kidnapping is a growing phenomenon. The ransom depends on the family’s financial situation. Sometimes, if they cannot pay, it may be months before they are reunited with their son or daughter.
Or it might be over pretty quick, as the Mirror reports:
Pakistan’s High Commissioner in London, Wajid Shamsul, insisted: “The boy should be returned some time soon. I’m optimistic.”
And you can rule out the Taliban, say the Guardian:
The manner of Sahil’s kidnapping suggests it was not carried out by militants.
Although, in the Independent:
Kidnapping has long menaced Pakistan. From the notorious Dacoits who prowl the Thar desert, to Taliban militants along the Afghan border, grabbing people for ransom sadly continues to prove a lucrative trade.
But some good news. The BBC hears:
Sources said officers were questioning two arrested people “very close” to those suspected of taking Sahil Shaeed.
Sahil Shaeed? Not Sahil Saeed?
But in the tabloid media it’s a human interest story, and Saeed’ mum is easy to reach. In the Times, we hear from Sahil’s “distraught” mum Akila Naqqash.
“We have not heard anything from the kidnappers,” she said. “All we can do is wait.
The news is delivered in adjectives. In the Sun, mum is “sobbing Akila”.
Sky News: “Freedom Hope For Boy Kidnapped In Pakistan”
Speaking at her home in Oldham, Ms Naqqash described her son as a “really sweet boy. We have got no idea why we were targeted, we don’t have any money.
“I would say (to the kidnappers) just why? Why can’t you just be a grown person? He is just a little boy. He is just five years old, he was due to come home today. Please don’t hurt him.”
She adds:
“I phoned him every day of the last two weeks. When I last spoke to him he just said he couldn’t wait to come home and have a jacket potato, he was fed up of the chapatis.”
More to follow…
Posted: 5th, March 2010 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
