The son of former prime minister of Pakistan Yousaf Raza Gilani, Ali Haider Gilani, was rescued in Afghanistan’s Ghanzi province on Tuesday, three years after he was abducted from the Punjab province. The Foreign Ministry of Pakistan said in a statement that Ali Haider was rescued during a joint operation by troops of both Afghanistan and the United States and that he will return to the country after a medical check-up is conducted.

The 29-year-old was believed to have been kidnapped by the Taliban on May 9, 2013, two days before the general election was scheduled to be held in Pakistan. Ali Haider had been campaigning for the Pakistan People’s Party. Motorcycle-borne armed assailants had opened fire before kidnapping him. They had killed a secretary and a bodyguard in the incident.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tweeted about his rescue. Afghan Ambassador Omar Zakhilwal, too, confirmed the successful operation in a Facebook post, saying that Ali Haider was “well and will be repatriated to his family soon”. Last week, Shahbaz Taseer, the son of murdered former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, was rescued five years after his abduction from Lahore.