The two Swiss hostages have returned safe and sound from Pakistan

At 13.30 on Saturday, 17 March, the two Swiss nationals arrived at Zurich airport. They are in good health in the circumstances. They were welcomed at the airport by relatives and friends and then met representatives of the inter-departmental task force who had been working flat out for months to obtain the release of the two hostages. The task force headed by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) coordinated the activities of the various services involved - the Federal Office of Police (fedpol), the intelligence service of the Confederation and the cantonal police forces of Bern and Aargau. The two Swiss nationals thanked the task force for its efforts and its support over the past months. 

The two Swiss nationals made the following statement to the press:" We are very happy to be free again and to be able to return to Switzerland after this unbelievably long period of imprisonment. We went through some very difficult moments that will affect us for the rest of our lives. Throughout this period we felt a great sense of uncertainty and we feared for our lives. Finally after thinking it over for a long time we decided to try to escape, despite the great risk. That is why we are free today. 

Although we prepared carefully for journey, we nevertheless became victims of a kidnapping. We are sorry that we caused so much distress and suffering to so many people. We would like to thank all the people and authorities involved for all their efforts on our behalf.  

We will need the time ahead to try to deal with these stressful experiences. We do not yet know how long this will take. We would like to ask the media to give us and our families the time and space we need. We would like to thank everyone for allowing us the necessary peace after eight months of imprisonment." 

The FDFA asks the media and the public to respect the need for rest and the privacy of both the former hostages and their relatives. For reasons of protection of privacy, the FDFA will not be making any further statements. 

Further information:

The Division for Security Policy and Crisis Management

Address for enquiries:

Information FDFA
Bundeshaus West
CH-3003 Bern
Tel.: +41 58 462 31 53
Fax: +41 58 464 90 47
E-Mail: info@eda.admin.ch

Publisher:

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs