Islamabad:
The news item appearing in a section of Indian Press, trying to establish relationship between Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and the family of detained US terror suspect and my half-brother, Daood Gilani, reportedly alias David Coleman Headley is incorrect, misplaced and totally baseless.
This news is based on speculations being done by the Indian media to create unnecessary hype, therefore I would like to mention some facts for the purpose of clarification and to keep the record straight.
Apparently the Indian media has tried to establish a link between the two families, because the Prime Minister issued a condolence message on my father's death in December last year and visited my house to condole. This he did out of courtesy because I was working as his PRO and also because my father was a renowned broadcaster and a known personality of his time. At that time Daood was not in Pakistan.
My ancestors migrated from Jastarwal in Indian Punjab, and Etawah in UP at the time of Independence, whereas PM's family has been living in Multan for centuries and the two have no relationship with each other.
It may also be mentioned that I have been working as PRO to the Prime Minister since 2005, when Mr. Shaukat Aziz was Prime Minister during President Musharraf's time, and did not join after the current government took over, as some news reports appearing the Indian media have tried to suggest.
My half-brother Daood was born in Washington in 1960, where my father, late Syed Saleem Gilani, was working with the Voice of America, and had married an American woman there. Soon after Daood's birth the tenure of my father's posting ended and the couple shifted to Pakistan. In late 60s my father and Daood's mother got divorced, and according to family elders, she went back to the US. Being much younger to Daood I have heard that he studied at the Hassan Abdal Cadet College for some time and in mid 70s shifted to America to live with his mother. Since then the family here only had occasional link with him. In fact because of his involvement with issues related to drugs my father wanted the rest of the family to stay away from his influence. His having another name or changing his name at some stage in life has come as a surprise to me. He has four kids and a Pakistani wife who also live in the United States.
After passing the Civil Service exam I was posted in Islamabad in 2002 and am living there with my wife and daughter ever since, with very little contact with him. I last met Daood when he visited Pakistan a few days after my father's death, nearly a year ago.