Monday, April 25 2005 08:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: A Pakistani embassy employee held by kidnappers in Iraq was released and is in good health despite his two weeks in captivity, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said.

"Malik Mohammad Javed has been released, he is hail and hearty," Aziz said yesterday (Apr 24, 2005) during a live telecast of an event in honour of the Pakistan cricket team, who returned from a Test tour of India.

"He has been freed with the prayers of his family and the entire nation," Aziz said in Urdu.

"We are thankful to the countries who helped in his release," the Premier said without naming any nation.

Javed, 45, disappeared April 9 when he went for evening prayers at a Baghdad mosque. He had been working as a non-diplomatic official at the embassy in the Iraqi capital for the last seven years while his wife, four daughters and two sons, lived in Islamabad.

Prime Minister Aziz had sent a special envoy to Baghdad to try to secure his release.

Foreign Office spokesman Jalil Abbas Jilani told agencies Javed was released without any conditions and would return to Pakistan soon.

Muddasir Malik, one of Javed's sons, had earlier this month told agencies his father had contacted the family and told them his kidnappers were demanding a ransom of $ 500,000.

Pakistani officials have, however, denied there was any ransom demand.

Javed's wife and children in Islamabad were celebrating his release and looking forward to being reunited with him soon.