Pakistan to probe circumstances of release of governor's son

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan's interior minister has ordered a probe into circumstances surrounding the release from captivity of the son of a slain governor.

Initial reports said a joint operation rescued 33-year-old Shahbaz Taseer who was held for five years by Islamic militants. Taseer was found on Tuesday in a hotel room in Quetta, the Baluchistan provincial capital. But after the rescue, reports surfaced that nearly $10 million had been paid for his life.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ordered the probe on Thursday, saying "the facts are different."

Taseer is the son of late governor Salman Taseer, who was assassinated by his guard in 2011 over accusations of blasphemy. His son was abducted just eight months after the killing. The guard behind the governor's killing, Mumtaz Qadri, was hanged this week.