Bangalore, Aug 5 (IANS) Syed Mazhar, the Indian pilot who was taken hostage by rebels in the Congo July 24 and freed Tuesday, flew in here late Thursday saying he wanted to forget the ordeal.
‘I had given up all hopes of being safely released,’ the 25-year-old Bangalorean told reporters on his arrival.
He was, however, reluctant to give details about his time in captivity.
Mazhar, a co-pilot with Congolese airline Goma Express, was taken captive by the rebels who attacked his aircraft on a remote airstrip in the Congo’s tin-mining zone in North Kivu province.
‘I suffered a lot. I want to forget the past and move on,’ Mazhar said, adding he will decide on going back to the Congo in consultation with his family.
He thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, the Indian embassy in the Congo and the Congolese authorities for getting him freed.
