A British man who was kidnapped in Pakistan and freed after his family paid a £15,000 ransom has been murdered after returning to the country to give evidence against his former captors. Malik Muhammad Iqbal, 55, from Bradford, was shot by up to three balaclava-wearing men on Friday at a relative's home in Rawalpindi, where he was staying during the trial.
Iqbal, a father of four, had agreed to return to Pakistan for the four-week trial of the men who seized him, aware of the risks. According to Pakistani media, he was gunned down on Chakri Road and died on the way to hospital. Friend and former councillor Riaz Ahmed said Iqbal was 'a strong, defiant man' who wanted 'justice to be done to prevent this happening to anyone else'.
During his kidnapping last year, Iqbal was blindfolded, chained and starved for almost three weeks. He was snatched while visiting family in Rawalpindi and kept in a shed on a farm, surviving on occasional tea and biscuits. His family, local farmers, sold livestock to raise the ransom.
After his release, Iqbal had vowed never to return, telling the BBC he believed he was seen as a 'good target' because he was a British citizen. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed his death and said it was providing consular assistance.
