Son of Pakistani judge saved from 'terrorists'

The hostage, Awais Ali Shah, was freed in a pre-dawn raid on Tuesday, the army said. The authorities located him in the northern district of Tank, close to Waziristan where the army has been battling the Taliban.

Army spokesman Asim Bajwa tweeted that three of the captors were killed.

"Awais Shah son of Sindh Chief Justice recovered through an IBO (intelligence based operation) from custody of terrorists from near Tank," he posted.

Shah flew to his home in Karachi to reunite with his family later on Tuesday.

The kidnapping is believed to be directed against Shah's father, the chief justice of the High Court in Pakistan' southern Sindh province. The son of justice Sajjad Ali Shah was last seen on CCTV while shopping in a supermarket in Karachi four weeks ago.

The judge praised the rescue on Tuesday, but said he had "absolutely no idea" who kidnapped his son or why.

"All I know at this time is that my son is back," he said, according to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper.

'Operational excellence'

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif congratulated the justice and praised the officials involved in the rescue.

"The prime minister lauded the role of intelligence agencies and security forces in recovering Mr. Awais Shah and said that the professional and operational excellence of our security forces has made it possible," his office said in a statement.

Rescues of this kind are not uncommon in the regions burdened by Taliban tribal conflict. A joint US-Afghan raid in May unexpectedly saved the son of a former Pakistani minister who was kidnapped three years ago.